Crossing the Line
by katiepwns
Summary: Kate was only looking to spend time with her son at the park, but what found her there was a chance to meet the man that saved her years ago. AU. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**_AN: I didn't give this story a set timeline because it's based off my imagination. However, I'm having it so Kate has been a homicide detective for a year before she had her son._**

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><p>It was a little after nine in the morning on Saturday when Kate rolled onto her side. After she opened her eyes to look at her alarm clock, she instantly sat up. She itched the back of her head as she yawned.<p>

How had she slept this long without being woken up?

She put her legs over the side of the bed before grabbing her phone off the side table. There was one text from her dad. A smile inched across her lips because he was coming over later for dinner.

He was coming to dinner… at her messy place. Crap.

When she walked into the kitchen, she started the coffee maker and walked back down the small hall. The door adjacent to the bathroom was still closed. She quietly turned the handle and pushed it open.

In the right corner was a toddler bed and in the middle of it was her sleeping son. She smiled when she drew closer because his thumb was hanging out of his mouth, even though his pacifier was directly by his head. As she knelt down, she could smell it. Pee.

"Hey, baby boy," she whispered, running her fingers through his light brown curls.

Her soft touch made him stir out of sleep. His thumb fell out of his mouth while he rubbed his face in the Cars pillow. When he stopped, he laid on his side and looked up at her.

"Morning, sleepy head," she spoke, getting the most adorable, tired smile from him. "Looks like someone peed through their diaper again." She got a scared frown in return. "It's okay, sweetie. It was Mommy's fault for buying the generic brand." She stood up and went to his dresser.

Once Kate opened the top drawer, knocking occurred. Noah quickly got out of his bed when he heard the knocking. He looked at his mom then back toward the noise. He figured she was too busy, so he ran toward it.

"Let's get you-" Kate stopped short when she turned around and her son wasn't in the room. It was then she heard the knocking. "Noah, don't you dare try to open the door."

She walked out of his room and toward the apartment door, clean clothes in hand. When she saw him trying to reach the door handle, she sighed and set his clothes on the couch.

"What did I say about opening the door when someone knocks?" She lifted him up and kissed his face. "You need to let Mommy see who's out there first, got it?" She got a nod then let him look through the peephole. "Who is it?"

"Annie!" he squealed.

"Annie?" She looked through the peephole herself. "Oh, you mean Auntie," she said, setting him down before opening the door. "Hey," she said to Lanie.

"Morning," Lanie greeted, walking into the apartment. She knelt down in front of Noah. "Morning, cutie. I brought you a jelly donut."

Noah's eyes went really wide.

"Let's change you first," Kate said, picking him up and playfully carrying him under her arm, which caused giggles.

"I need some advice," Lanie said, sitting on the couch.

"Shoot," Kate replied, undressing Noah at the same time.

"What do you think of Esposito?"

"What?"

"You know… as a boyfriend."

"He's not my type and he's the total opposite of what you go for," Kate replied.

"What do you mean?"

"He seems like the guy who wants to settle down with someone. He was in the military, so it does make sense."

"Do you think I'm ready to settle down?"

"Do you want my honest opinion?"

"No."

"Then don't ask," Kate laughed then looked back at Noah who was crawling away. "I don't think so, bud. You need to be in clothes if you want to go to the park later."

Almost immediately after the word park, Noah was back in front of her. He attempted to cross his arms and pout.

"No pouting," Kate softly spoke, putting her hands on the side of his face which made it easier to hold him still and kiss.

"I want one," Lanie nonchalantly spoke.

"No, you don't. You work way longer hours than I do. And these little creatures-" she tickled Noah's sides, causing smiles. "-need a lot of attention."

"You make it look so easy and fun, though."

"It's not always easy and fun. Sometimes I just want to break down and cry because it gets hard."

"Well, someday I want a family. I guess just not now."

"Sounds good."

"Maybe Esposito wants a family…"

"Oh god."

"But anywho, what are you two up to today?"

"Well, after his afternoon nap, I'm taking him to the park so he can blow off some of his energy. After, I guess I'm making dinner for when my dad stops by. Oh, and I should probably do laundry and wash his blankets," Kate answered as she put Noah's shirt on him.

"I'll help you clean or something."

"Lanie, I'm not going to make you clean my place. I can manage like I usually do."

"But there's nothing to do!" Lanie whined, throwing her head on the back of the couch.

"Fine. You can entertain my little rugrat while I start the laundry."

"Speakin' of rugrat, where did he go?" Lanie asked, looking around the room for a sign of Noah.

Kate used the coffee table to help herself stand. She was about to call her son's name until a crashing sound stopped her. She glanced at Lanie and the two of them ran toward the noise.

Noah was standing in the middle of her floor, staring at the mess in front of her dresser. When he saw his mom, he slowly started to back away from it.

"Noah James, what did I say about trying to take Mommy's stuff?" She didn't get an answer. "You're lucky it was just a picture frame," she said, bending down to pick up the pieces.

"Kate," Lanie whispered as she nudged her friend.

"What?"

"I think you scared him," she answered upon seeing Noah's teary eyes.

Kate slowly looked over at her son just as he started to cry. She looked back down at the mess and sighed.

"I got it," Lanie announced, grabbing the little garbage can next to the dresser and tossing the bigger pieces of glass away.

"Come here, buddy," Kate calmly said with her arms outstretched.

Noah ended up quickly backing into the bed, making her feel horrible for yelling louder than normal. But what else could she have done? He could have gotten hurt from the glass and that scared her more than anything. It also didn't help that it was the only picture of her mom and dad together.

Before his crying got louder, she quickly picked him up. This resulted in his head resting on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry I yelled," she murmured, rubbing his back to calm him down. "If you want something, tell Mommy first, okay?" She felt a small nod on her shoulder.

"I got most of it," Lanie spoke, tying the bag in the garbage can.

After calming down, Noah lifted his head off his mom's shoulder. "Caw, please," he pointed to his mom's dresser.

"Ohh, he wanted this," Lanie said, picking up the car with her empty hand. She gave it to Kate before walking out of the room to get rid of the bag.

"You wanted this?" Kate smiled when she saw her son's big grin. She handed him the car. "Let's put a movie on."

…..

"Daddy!"

Rick finished typing the last sentence on his laptop. He quickly saved what he had so far.

"In here," he yelled.

Within seconds, he heard the sound of little running feet coming toward him. He saw a glimpse of red hair over his desk, which made him stand up. Just as he stood up something ran into his legs.

"Slow down, speedy." He smiled down at his daughter. "What's up?"

"The clock has a two and a three on it like you said. That means we can go!" she squealed excitedly.

She tightly grabbed his hand and tried to pull him up. She continued until her hand slid off his and she fell.

"Calm down, kiddo," Rick laughed, lifting her onto her feet. He looked at the time on his watch and smiled. "It's only 3:02 pm, silly. I said we can go to the park at 3:30 pm, remember?"

"Why?" Alexis asked.

"Because-" he was cut short by the ringing of his phone. "Hold on, Pumpkin," he said to her and quickly answered the phone. "Castle. Yeah… But I… I had plans for today. You can't just… Oh, I forgot... Okay, I'll be there soon." He ended the call and turned Alexis.

"We're not going," she pouted.

"I'm sorry, Pumpkin. I forgot I had an evening book signing today, but if you put on your cutest face, I bet you could get Grams to take you," he smiled. "Let's see the cutest face you got."

Alexis took this as a challenge. She made herself look like she was about to cry and stuck her bottom lip out. The way she looked up at her dad made his heart want to break for changing their plans at the last minute.

"Perfect. Now, let's try it on Grams." He stood up and took her small hand. He walked her into the kitchen where his mother was pouring herself a glass of water. "She has something to ask you."

"Can you take me to the park, please?" Alexis pouted, getting a sympathetic look from her grandma.

"Of course. I wanted to get some fresh air today and we can do that at the park, can't we?" Martha asked her.

"Yeah!" Alexis quickly turned her frown into a big smile. "Let's go now."

"Richard, what time do you have to leave for your book signing?" Martha questioned her son.

"About ten minutes. I should probably change and freshen up."

"Yeah, Daddy. You smell like Cheetos," Alexis giggled into her hands.

"Do I?" Rick pulled his shirt from his chest to sniff it. "I guess I do. Do you know what that means, Alexis?"

"No." She shook her head.

"The Cheeto monster is gonna get you!"

Alexis let out a scream and ran away from her dad. She made him run around the living room a few times before running into his room. She quickly crawled under the bed just as he walked in.

"That's not fair. I'm too big to fit under there," Rick said, bending down to peek under the bed.

"But you're a monster! I gotta hide from the monster."

"I can see you, though," he laughed, reaching for her hands.

"Do I win?"

"Yes, you win," he answered with a smile, gently pulling her out from under the bed and lifting her into his arms.

"You still stinky, Daddy," she said, holding her hands over her nose.

"You should go pick up your toys while I change. I can walk with you guys to the park. How's that?" He set her back on the floor.

"Okay, Daddy."

He watched her run into the living room to pick up her toys. He smiled when she kissed her favorite doll before placing it on the couch.

"You need to start writing down things you have to attend," Martha said, walking over to him. "Even I remember them."

"I probably should. That way I don't keep disappointing her."

"Like her mom."

"Mother!"

"Don't tell me you don't think the same thing."

"It doesn't matter what I think right now. Alexis is all that matters," he whispered. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything like this near her."

"I promise to never speak of it near her again."

"Thank you. Now I should probably get out of these 'Cheeto' clothes."

…..

There was movement under Kate's arm. She ignored it, but seconds later there was more. Giving in to the disturbance, she finally opened her eyes and looked down. Her little boy was squirming around under her arm. She lifted it up to see if that was the reason he was moving, but it wasn't.

"Noah," she whispered, gently running her fingers through his hair.

When he finally stopped moving and opened his eyes, she smiled. Her smile immediately faded when she noticed that his eyes were filling with tears.

"Hey. It's okay, buddy. It's just Mommy," she soothed, hoping that he'd realize that he was no longer asleep. When his tears started to fall, she pulled him closer. "What scared you in your dream?" she asked, rubbing his back to calm him down.

"Big monster," his reply was muffled because his face was buried in her shirt.

"Well, next time you see this big monster tell him that your mommy is a cop and I will protect you no matter what. So, if he hurts you, I will put him in jail with bigger and meaner monsters," she said, getting a small giggle in reply. "There, all better. Now, let's get you a little snack then…"

He pulled away from her and got himself on his feet on the bed. "Park!" he cheered before starting to jump.

"Come on, you," Kate laughed while getting off the bed and standing next to it. She picked her son up and placed him on the floor.

She followed him into the kitchen and let him open the cupboard closest to the floor. It was adorable the way he tilted his head to the side while thinking. He finally grabbed the Spongebob gummies and held them up to her.

"More of these?" she asked, tearing them open.

"They good," he nodded with a smile.

"They're good, are they?" she smiled back before stealing one and popping it in her mouth.

"Hey! You stoled it!"

"I didn't steal it," she ruffled his curls and handed him the rest. She couldn't help but smile when he plopped on the floor to eat them. "What juice do you want to bring?" she asked, opening the fridge at the same time.

"Red one."

"Alrighty." She took the fruit punch out of the fridge, setting it on the counter. She grabbed one of the clean sippy cups from the dish strainer and poured in the juice. "We should change you before we leave," she said, making sure the top was on tight enough.

After Noah was changed and his diaper bag was packed, they headed out.

"Me do!" he yelled, running toward the elevator to push the button. The second he pushed it, it opened and he ran inside.

Once they were outside, Kate hoisted him onto her hip, so she wouldn't lose him. That was the last thing she ever wanted to do, lose her son in the crowded streets of New York City.

They walked for a good fifteen minutes until they finally reached the park. It would have been shorter if Noah didn't see people selling turtles. She ended up making a mental note to maybe buy him one for Christmas, which was only two months away.

When they arrived at the playground, she sat on one of the benches closest to it and set her son down. "Go play, buddy. I'll be right here if you need me."

Noah had a few of his fingers in his mouth as he looked between his mom and the playground.

"Go play, silly." She gently nudged him forward, which ended up making him slowly walk toward the slide. "Don't you dare try and go up it," she yelled to him, which made him run in a different direction.

Since her son was playing, she pulled out a book from his diaper bag. She opened up to the spot where her bookmark was and let herself get lost in the words.

Noah walked up the steps to a tunnel and peeked inside. He was always afraid to crawl through to the other end, but there was someone sitting in the middle. His head slowly tilted to the side, trying to figure out why they would block it. This ended up making him crawl to the person.

"'Cuse me," he said, but the boy wouldn't budge. "I said 'cuse me!" he yelled which made the boy look his way.

"Shut up," the boy said, pushing Noah back, which made him fall and hit his head. The impact of his head on the tunnel ended up making him cry.

"Stupid annoying baby," the boy said and crawled out the other end.

Noah continued to cry even when a blurry outline of a little girl came into his view.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He slowly shook his head, crying even more because it still hurt.

"I'm Alexis," she said, hesitantly taking his hands to pull him up to a sitting position. "Where's your mommy or daddy?"

Noah pointed out of the side of the tunnel he entered in. He wasn't entirely sure where his mom was, but he really wanted her, which made him cry even more.

"Here," Alexis said, squeezing through to the opening of the tunnel he pointed in. She took his hands and pulled him out. "Do you see her?" she asked, but didn't get a reply. "That her?" She pointed to the woman sitting alone on a bench.

Noah nodded and was led to his mom while holding hands with a little girl he had never met before.

Kate just finished a chapter when she heard crying. The noise got closer and it finally registered that it was her son's cries. Almost immediately, she set her book down and looked up to see him being brought to her by a red headed little girl.

"Noah, what happened?" she asked, getting off the bench and bending down in front of him.

"I saw some meanie push him down in the tunnel. He was way bigger than him too." Alexis said.

"Come here, buddy," Kate opened her arms and almost instantly, Noah was clinging to her. "Thank you," she said to the little girl.

"I'm Alexis," she said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Alexis. I'm Kate and this is Noah. I'm sure he'd be happy to play with you once he feels better."

"That'd be fun since since there's nobody small here to play with." Alexis shuffled her feet while looking down.

Kate continued to rub her son's back. "Do you want to go play with Alexis, buddy?" She felt a small nod against her. She pulled him so he was arms length away. "You okay?" she asked, wiping away his tears with her thumb.

"Yeah," he whispered.

She kissed his cheek and smiled. "Go play with your new friend."

Noah turned toward Alexis and smiled while rubbing his right eye.

"Wanna play cops and robbers?" she asked him.

"Yeah!"

"You be the robber first."

"Okay," he looked over at his mom and smiled.

"Alexis, sweetie, who are you here with?" Kate asked before they ran off.

"Grams. She's over…" Alexis pointed to the other side of the park. "I think there."

"Okay. Just making sure you're not here by yourself," Kate smiled and got a shy one in return. "Now go play you two," she encouraged, watching them run off toward the playground.

She ended up not picking her book up again. Instead, she watched her son play. The way his curls blew in the wind reminded her of her mother's hair.

A memory of when she was little overtook her thoughts. Her mom was buying her an ice cream cone before they went home. She was looking up at her and smiling because, to her, her mom was the most beautiful person she knew. She always looked up to her and wanted to be just like her one day.

Her trip down memory lane was cut short when a classy woman sat down next to her. She quickly grabbed her son's bag to make more room.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just meeting the young Noah's mother," the woman said with a smile.

"Oh, you must be Alexis' grandmother," Kate said, setting her son's bag on the ground. "I'm Kate," she said, sticking her hand out, which soon after was shook.

"I'm Martha."

"Martha… Are you... Martha Rodgers?"

"Yes, I am."

"Wow." Kate stared in awe at the woman who was one of her favorite play actresses. "Wow, I'm sorry," she nervously laughed. "You're just one of my favorite play actresses."

"And it looks like my son is one of your favorite authors," Martha stated when she noticed the book on the bench.

"Yeah." Kate's face got a little hot. "Wait… Does that mean Alexis is his daughter?"

"Yes, she is. Beautiful little girl, isn't she?"

"She's adorable and very friendly. She brought my son to me when he was hurt."

"Ah. Sounds like Alexis. She's always trying to help people out even being three years old."

"Three? Wow, she has the speech of a five year old," Kate replied, stunned.

"That would be her father's work," Martha laughed. "But your son… his eyes are stunning."

"I get told that a lot." Kate smiled.

"If he wasn't little, I would think that they were contacts."

"Nope. Those are his own blue eyes."

"He will get lots of girls with those," Martha teased.

"Probably," Kate chuckled, shaking her head because she doesn't want him to get bigger yet.

A good twenty minutes passed until the kids ran over to them. Noah, a little further behind because he was giggling.

"Did you have fun?" Kate asked him with a smile.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Lessis fun."

"Alexis is fun, eh?" She pulled him in for a big hug and handed him his sippy cup.

"Ready to go?" Martha asked Alexis who nodded.

"Will you be here tomorrow?" Alexis asked Kate.

"We can be. Same time?"

"Yeah, except this time my son will be with her," Martha answered.

"You will like my daddy, Noah," Alexis enthusiastically said. "He's like a big kid!" She threw her arms in the air.

The way Alexis' face lit up at the mention of her dad, made Kate smile. She wished Noah had a father that was there for him. A father that wouldn't walk away just for a better job. It disgusted her how his dad chose his job over his own son. She could never do that. Never in a million years.

"Bye, Noah. Bye, Kate," Alexis said, taking her out of her thoughts.

"Bye, sweetie," Kate replied.

"Bye," Noah waved with a bigger smile than his mom's. He turned toward her and gave her a sneaky smirk.

"Okay, you can go down the slide one more time then we go home, got it?"

"Yes," he smiled and ran toward the slide.

She watched as her son cautiously walked up the steps to the slide. When he was out of view, it finally hit her.

She was meeting Richard Castle tomorrow. Not just at a book signing, but at a park with his adorable little girl who stole her heart within two seconds. She couldn't even imagine what it would be like having a real conversation with him.

What would she say? What should she wear?

God, why was she thinking like this? He was just another person. He was no different than her or anybody.

_Except his books got you out of the black fog that swallowed you whole when your mother was murdered._

Okay, tomorrow was going to make her super nervous, but her son and his daughter got along so well. It was rare for Noah to make friends that fast because he was so shy. She couldn't take it away from him.

So, tomorrow she will be sitting on a park bench, talking with Richard Castle, and watching their kids play together. Nothing could go wrong, right?

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><p><strong><em>AN: Thoughts?<em>**


	2. Chapter 2

Kate kept looking through the peephole of her door every time she heard foot steps in the hall. Her impatience was growing and she didn't know what to do to pass time until Lanie got there. Her son was conked out on the couch, so she couldn't do anything too loud. Pacing in front of the door didn't help much, it just made time go by slower.

After another ten minutes of waiting, there was knocking on the door. She almost fell out of the kitchen chair to answer it.

"Where have you been?" she whispered once the door was open.

"Can you relax? You know it takes awhile to get here from the morgue," Lanie shot back.

"Well, it took you too long. I'm at wits end here and there's no way I can do this. It's impossible," Kate said so fast that Lanie only caught the last sentence. "What?"

"How about we sit down and talk about this," Lanie spoke, purposely acting like a psychologist to annoy her friend.

"Okay," Kate ignored her and led them into the living room. "Oh, crap." Her eyes fell on her son. "I forgot he fell asleep in here."

Lanie lightly put her head on Kate's arm. "Aw, look at him. I want one so bad."

"Why do you tell me this all the time?"

"Do you not see how cute your son is all curled up in a ball? He makes me want to have a baby."

"I know he's cute." Kate smiled down at Noah. "But you need a relationship first," she teased with a grin.

"Okay. Whatever," Lanie said more quiet than before. "Now let's go talk this nonsense, you keep telling yourself, out of your head."

"What nonsense? This isn't nonsense. I'm meeting Richard Castle in…" Kate checked her watch. "Two hours," she replied with a high pitched tone.

"You've met him before. How is this any different?" Lanie questioned, letting her friend walk into her bedroom first.

"I've never had a full conversation with the man. I don't think I'm capable of doing so."

"Just sit on a bench and let the kids play. Who said you have to talk to him?" Lanie asked, picking up the Cosmo magazine from the dresser.

"It'd be rude not to introduce myself since our kids are playing together."

"Be rude for a day. You seem to enjoy doing it at-" Lanie stopped herself when she saw the glare she was receiving.

"That's called sarcasm at work. This… this isn't work."

"Treat him like one of your suspects. Mr. Party Boy would probably like that."

"_Ugh._" Kate plopped down on her bed. "What if he hates me?"

"_Girl_, why would he hate you?" Lanie asked, sitting on the bed.

"I don't know." Kate shook her head. "What if I say something wrong and Noah can't play with Alexis at the park again?"

"I doubt that will happen. You always know what to say to people without hurting their feelings. This isn't any different."

Kate chewed on her bottom lip, thinking about what was just said. She did always know how to react with people. But this was Richard Castle for crying out loud. How could she just casually talk to him?

"Is this because you haven't been with a man in awhile and you think he's going to try to hook up with you?"

"Lanie!"

"I'm just sayin' that if he wants to, you should because I know you want to."

"Oh my god." Kate laid back on her bed, covering her red face.

"It's so true! You want to-" Lanie was cut short when she saw Noah peeking into the room. "Hey, Buddy," she greeted with a smile.

Kate propped herself on her elbows, silently thanking her son for the perfect timing. "You took a long nap there, kiddo." She smiled as he hesitantly walked into the room playing with the hook on his pacifier.

When he was close enough to the bed, Lanie lifted him up and sat him down. He immediately crawled next to his mom and leaned against her.

"Can I have this?" Kate asked him before taking his pacifier out of his mouth, causing him to whine. "Hey, we want you to talk to us."

"That's right." Lanie nodded. "And I want you to tell your mommy that she's being crazy, okay?"

Noah smiled and hid his face in Kate's side.

"He still doesn't talk much." Lanie frowned.

"He just woke up and turned two almost three weeks ago. My dad told me that I didn't talk a lot until I was three, so don't badger my son."

"Okay. I'm going to head back to work," Lanie announced while getting off the bed.

"No, don't. Please stay or come to the park with me," Kate begged as she lifted Noah up and followed her friend out into the hall. "Lanie!"

Lanie turned around on her heel and grabbed Kate by the shoulders. "Listen to me, Katherine, you can do this," she said, looking into her eyes. They both ended up laughing. "Seriously, you can meet him. I promise you nothing will go wrong."

"Fine. I shouldn't make you late again and I should probably pick up the house before we leave."

"Call me later?" Lanie asked once she got to the apartment door.

"Yeah, I will."

"Alright. Bye, Noah." Lanie waved, getting a shy smile in return. "I will have one someday," she sang before walking out the door.

"She's silly." Kate smiled and put Noah on the floor. "Wanna grab me a book to bring to the park?"

The instant he took off toward the main bookshelf, she went to pour herself another cup of coffee. She put it in the microwave, leaned up against the counter, and watched him look for a book. He was on his tiptoes with his hands behind his back, contemplating which one to grab. When the microwave went off she turned back around to grab her cup. After taking a few sips, she felt her shirt being tugged, so she looked down and saw him holding a book up to her.

"Which one did you choose?" she asked, gently taking it from him. She took a quick sip of her coffee before reading the title and soon regretted it. "Not this-" She quickly covered her mouth before coughing. "Not this one, buddy. How about another?"

"Mine," Noah squealed as he reached for the book. "Mine. Mine. Mine."

"No, this is Mommy's book, but you can go put it back." She smiled while handing him the book.

He immediately ran off with the book and stopped near the couch. The sight of his favorite red car, on his blanket, distracted him, so he threw the book and grabbed the car.

"Hey!" Kate yelled. "What did I say about throwing things?" She walked into the living room and had trouble staying mad when he tried to hide under the pillow. "Don't you ever throw things again, Noah."

She bent down and picked up the book. The cover was a little bent, but that was okay. The thing that really mattered was the signing, by Richard Castle, in the front. It was a very strange coincidence that her son chose, out of all the books, this one to bring to the park. As much as her nerves argued, she hoped it was a good sign.

…..

"And he's a lot smaller than me. And he has curly hair. And he likes to play fun stuff," Alexis babbled to her dad while he made her lunch.

"You already told me all of this," he laughed.

"But he's not like Paige and Emma, Daddy."

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"No! He's not my boyfriend!" Alexis' hands curled up into little fists. She did not like when her dad teased her about having crushes.

"How old is he?"

"Umm… I forgot," she sighed with a frown.

"Was his mom pretty?"

"Daddy!"

"I'm only kidding, Pumpkin." He smiled, even though he wasn't really joking.

"Done?" she asked, getting onto her tippy toes to try to see the counter.

"And voila." He swiftly handed her the plate. "You're lunch, madame."

"Can you carry it? I dropped it last time." She pouted.

"Okay." He smiled and happily carried her plate to the table. He set her in the booster seat and sat in the chair next to her.

"What time are we leavin' again?" she asked as she got comfortable.

"We are leaving in-" He checked his watch. "Twenty minutes. Which reminds me that I should find your hat and scarf since it's getting chilly."

"The scarf makes me itchy." She frowned. "And it's not cold!"

"It is very cold. You can't fight your way out of this one."

"_Fine_," she huffed and then stared at her plate. "I'm not hungry."

"I know you're hungry and you have to eat before we go." He kissed the top of her head. "Now let me go find your stuff."

Alexis ate her sandwich and Cheetos so fast that it made her stomach hurt. She slowly got off the chair to lay on the floor. When she heard her dad's footsteps, she turned her head toward him.

"What are you doing on the floor?" He tilted his head to the side, confused.

"I'm full," she groaned with her hands over her stomach.

He laughed and squatted down next to her. "Ready?"

"Yeah!" she squealed and quickly sat up, completely forgetting about how full she was.

"You have to wear this." He put her rainbow hat on her head. "This." He smiled as he helped her into her coat. "And these." He let her put on her gloves.

"Ready." She smiled up at him.

He stood up and took her small hand in his. "Let's go meet your boyfriend."

"_Daddy_."

…..

The walk to the park felt like it took hours. The only thing Kate stopped to do was grab another coffee because she didn't know it was this cold out and wanted a small detour. She was so happy that she had a hat and gloves in Noah's bag or he would be too cold, resulting in them leaving early, which he never liked.

"Oh boy. I can't do this," she spoke aloud. "How about we come play another day?" she asked Noah who shook his head. "No? Yeah, I didn't think you'd agree." She smiled.

They were slowly walking down the path to the playground when she saw him. One of the most ruggedly handsome men she has ever seen was sitting on a bench with Alexis. She thought it was adorable the way he only paid attention to his daughter, even though there were women distantly surrounding him. And some were daring enough to say something, but nope, he simply dismissed them for his daughter.

"Okay. Here we go." She licked her dry lips and hoisted Noah on her hip a little more.

"He's not coming." Alexis let her head hang in disappointment.

"We're early, Pumpkin. It might take him longer to get here than us." Rick put his arm around her and looked up to see the most beautiful woman his eyes had ever fallen on.

The way her hair framed her face, accenting her facial features. The length, not to long and not too short. The smile she gave her son, as if they were the only people in the world. Then there was her height. He was a sucker for a woman with legs and the one in front of him definitely had them. She was perfect. And when she spoke her voice was a perfect mix between seductive, sweet, and soothing.

_Oh crap_, he thought. _She said something_.

"Oh. H-hi," he finally said, hoping what she said was hello.

"Hi, I'm Kate." She stuck out her free hand. She didn't even know how she was still standing from her knees shaking so bad. And the sound of her heartbeat in her ears was very loud. "I'm Noah's mom," she said above the noise.

Rick slowly took her hand, noticing how soft her skin was. He almost didn't want to let go, but coming off as creepy was not on his list right now.

"I'm Rick. Most people call me Castle."

"Yeah, I know who you are," Kate replied, feeling her cheeks get more red. Before she let him notice, she set Noah on the ground.

"This must be the famous Noah that I've been hearing about." Rick smiled while he leaned down. "Hi, Chief."

Noah gave the new man in front of him a big smile and shyly waved.

"He's not a big talker," Kate said, gently tugging Noah's hat over his ears a little more.

"That's okay. He will crack out of his shell eventually." Rick grinned at Noah again before turning to Alexis. "You two can go play now. We'll be right here."

"You don't mind?" Kate bit down on her lip.

"Not at all. I like having someone to talk to that isn't-" He pointed his thumb behind him. "Stalking me like some kind of prey."

"Okay," she murmured, cautiously sitting down next to him. If what she just saw was correct, she got a glare from a few of the other mothers.

"So, how old's Noah? Alexis kind of forgot," he laughed, closely watching the smile sneak across her lips.

"He just turned two a few weeks ago."

"He's cute and looks like you. You both have the most beautiful eyes," he complimented, gazing into hers.

"Thank you." She smiled while looking down at her lap to hide the blushing.

"You know I'm a writer." He got a slight nod. "What do you do?"

"Oh, I'm a NYPD detective."

"A beautiful woman like yourself a detective? You look more like a lawyer."

"No, just a detective."

"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of detective?"

"Homicide."

"_Really?_" He sat up straighter, highly fascinated.

An hour and a half quickly went by until Alexis came running over. She was out of breath and they both leaned forward to hear better.

"I… can't… find Noah. We was playing hide and seek and I can't find him!" she basically yelled.

Kate was already on her feet, running over to the playground."Noah!" she continuously yelled until she found his jacket on the ground. Her mind instantly went to the worst case scenario, a kidnapping. She couldn't lose her son. Not now, not ever.

"Noah!" she heard Rick yelling over near the trees.

She couldn't even move her legs to look some more. All she could do was turn in circles hoping her eyes would land on his plaid hat.

"Do you see him?" Rick asked, running up to her side.

"No," she croaked, tears already falling down her cheeks.

"We'll find him, Kate. I promise." He gently put his hand on her arm and followed Alexis in another direction.

They spent ten minutes looking, but had no luck. Kate was ready to have a mental breakdown until she heard Alexis yelling. Without thinking she was already running toward the noise. They were standing in front of a bunch of rocks that older kids liked to climb on.

"I think I just saw him up there," Alexis screamed and pointed. "I'll go get him."

"I don't think so." Rick quickly picked her up. "You're too little to climb these. You might get hurt."

"You're Dad's right, Alexis. I'll go up and check," Kate said.

"How about I do it?" Rick asked, getting a small glare in return. "I mean… you have heels on… that'd be dangerous."

"Oh, you're right. Um, okay. If he's up there, please bring him down," she pleaded, her hands running through her hair. Alexis leaned against the side of her legs and watched her dad climb the rocks.

Once he was on the top, he saw Noah standing near the edge and he could hear his crying.

"Hey, Chief. Come here." He knelt down and Noah just stared at him, so he slowly walked on his knees and lifted him up. "How did you get up here?" he softly questioned while giving him a friendly hug. "You scared us, definitely your Mommy."

"Is he up there?" Kate nervously asked.

"Yeah, I got him. I think he's more scared than we were," he yelled back.

"Noah, it's okay, buddy. Mommy's down here," she said.

"Alright. Let's go see your mommy." Rick sat on the rocks and pulled Noah on his lap, making it easier to climb down without dropping him.

When he stepped off the last rock, Alexis was by his side within seconds and Kate quickly put his coat on Noah before taking him.

"You're not supposed to climb those," Alexis lectured. "Those are for big _big _kids."

"Thank you, sweetie. I think he's really scared right now and cold," Kate said with a smile.

"Here." Rick lifted Alexis, so she could see Noah better. "Maybe next time we should pay inside.

"Sounds like a good idea." Kate nodded while rubbing Noah's back.

"How about Tuesday?"

"After I get off my shift at four, I don't see why not," she answered with a smile.

Rick quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket. "What's your number?"

"212-555-4857," Kate answered, grinning at Alexis who was tilting her head at Noah.

"Alright. I'll shoot you a text, so you get mine."

Kate pulled her buzzing phone out of her pocket and opened up the new message.

_I'm glad he's okay._

She licked her lips and smiled up at Rick. "Thank you. I'll see you guys on Tuesday."

"Bye, Noah. Bye, Kate," Alexis waved with a bright smile.

"Until Tuesday, Detective." Rick nodded before walking away with his daughter.

Wait. Kate just agreed to go to his place on Tuesday. Everything happened so fast that it never registered until now. She _had _to get home and talk to Lanie about this or call her right now.

…..

They walked into the precinct since Lanie said she was here. The elevator ride up felt a lot longer than normal, but that was probably because she had news to tell her friend.

When the doors opened to reveal the bullpen, she saw Lanie sitting on Esposito's desk. They were most likely flirting and she was about to interrupt. Great.

"Hey, it's little Noah," Ryan happily cheered, getting up to go see him. "Aw. He's asleep."

"Is he really?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, he is," Ryan laughed. "They won't stop flirting," he whispered, pointing his thumb toward Lanie and Esposito. "Make them stop."

"I think the news I have to share with her will." She gave him a playful smirk and walked over to Lanie.

"Well someone is tired," Lanie stated with a huge smile on her face. "How'd everything go?"

"Good. Everything went great, except the whole losing Noah for almost twenty minutes."

"You lost the little dude?" Epsosito asked full of worry.

"But we found him," Kate replied.

"_Obviously._" Lanie rolled her eyes.

"And… we are going over to Cas- Rick's house on Tuesday," Kate nearly whispered.

"Are you serious? Girl, he wants to get to know you."

"Or he's being a good dad and letting his daughter play with her friend."

"Did he-" Lanie looked over at the boys who were intrigued before taking her friend's arm and leading her away. "Did he help you find Noah?"

"Yeah, he seemed extremely worried. Maybe not as much as me, but close."

"He likes you."

"Lanie, come on. I met him once. I doubt he likes me."

"I was right about it going good. I bet you money that I'm right about him liking you."

"Oh, Jesus." Kate sat at her desk, so they could continue talking. When she attempted to readjust Noah to a more comfortable position, he woke up.

"Little dude is up." Esposito nudged his Ryan's shoulder.

"You can go say hi." Kate smiled down at Noah before setting him on the floor. She watched him run over to Ryan and give him a tired high-five.

"So, are you gonna hook up with him?"

"Oh my god." Kate focused on Noah to stop herself from blushing.

She did not want to give Lanie anymore ammo than she already had. Besides, watching the boys with Noah was refreshing. It made her remember that not all men would walk away from their kid for a job.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Thoughts? Corrections? Suggestions? :D<strong>_


	3. Chapter 3

It was already Tuesday and time was going by extremely slow. The only thing to do was paperwork and even that was a drag. Ryan and Esposito left fifteen minutes ago to grab lunch and hopefully they would be back soon because Kate was so hungry that she was chewing on her pen to keep her stomach at ease. By the time she was done with her folder, her partners were rushing through the elevator and toward their desks.

"_Finally_," she spoke, setting her pen down as Ryan handed her a burger, fries, and soda.

"It's freezing out there." Esposito shivered. "I'm surprised it's not snowing."

"Don't even talk about snow, Javi." Kate glared.

"It is the middle of November," Ryan defended his partner.

"I don't care. I don't want snow."

"It does suck when there's snow when a body drops," Esposito said with his mouth full. "Aren't you gonna eat?" he asked Ryan who was on his phone.

"Jenny is asking what Liam had for breakfast because he's really wound up," Ryan laughed.

"What did you feed him?" Kate questioned before taking a sip of her soda.

"Just a toaster strudel and orange juice." He shrugged not understanding how that could be bad.

"If you give him anything with sugar, your son goes off the walls. Maybe you should get that checked out," Esposito suggested with a grin.

"That reminds me. I should call my dad to see how he's doing with Noah." Kate quickly picked up her phone to see that she had a text from Rick.

_I hope you guys like spaghetti._

She texted him back saying that they do, but neglected to tell him that was one of her favorite dishes.

"Why are you smiling?" Esposito asked, even though he had a feeling as to why.

"Nothing." She hit her dad's speed dial and waited until he picked up. "H-"

The screaming in the background cut her off. It wasn't a painful scream, it was more of an upset one. She wasn't entirely sure if it was even Noah because she had never heard it before.

"Dad?"

"Hey, Katie," Jim tried his hardest to answer as calmly as possible.

"Do I need to come there?" she asked, already starting to gather her things.

"I have it under control."

"What happened?"

"Just a little tantrum."

"_Over?_" She was starting to get impatient with her dad's vague replies.

"Not being able to come see you before his nap."

She could hear the hurt in his voice. Denying Noah anything was hard for him, but she told him not to spoil him either because well, this would happen.

"You can bring him, Dad. I'm on my lunch break anyway."

"And when I try to leave with him? Katie, he always cries after you walk out of the door until he falls asleep for a good fifteen minutes. I can't let that happen again."

"What's goin' on?" Ryan whispered.

She put up her finger to silence him, still trying to think of a reply to give her dad. If she knew Noah cried whenever she left, she would never go to work. Her heart was silently breaking and all she wanted to do was see her son to calm him down.

"Katie?"

"Dad, please just bring him. I'll make sure he doesn't have a breakdown before you two leave," she reassured, already choked up on her words.

"Aren't we supposed to ask the Captain if our kids can come here?" Ryan asked before eating another fry.

"Right. I forgot," she replied, slowly getting up, but then stopped when she saw the Captain making his way over to them. "Is it alright if Noah stops by for a little while?"

"Not a problem," Montgomery answered with a cheerful smile. "The only time you have to ask is if we are working on a case."

She shot Ryan a look who looked down at his food. He didn't like being wrong, but with her, he easily accepted it.

A good twenty minutes went by until the elevator doors opened. The instant she turned her head, she saw her father and Noah. She was glad to see her dad looking more fit and happy. All thanks to little Noah.

"Mommy!" Noah squealed with joy.

The moment he was set down, he was running toward his mom. He ended up colliding with another officer who simply smiled down at him and continued on.

"You need to be careful," Kate said when he was in front of her.

"He's very cranky," Jim mouthed and got a nod in return.

When she looked down, Noah's arms were in the air, so she lifted him up and sat him on her lap. He turned, so his head could easily lay on her chest.

"Someone's tired," she whispered before gently pulling his hat and coat off.

"Maybe I should tell Jenny to bring Liam by," Ryan said to his partner.

"Your son all wound up on sugar? And in a precinct? Not a good idea, bro," Esposito stated.

"You're right. Maybe some other time."

"Do you want one?" Kate held a fry in front of Noah's view. He took it from her and held onto it. "So, what did you guys do today?" she asked her dad.

"We watched a movie and played, mainly with the remote controlled car that I got him," Jim answered with a playful grin. "But he wouldn't eat anything as usual."

"Do you want these?" She held the small bag of fries in front of Noah. He quickly pushed them out of the way, making her drop them on the floor. "Hey, you could have just said no."

He tried to slide off her lap, but she wouldn't let him. That caused him to let out fake cries in the hope that she'd let him go. The last time he got loose around the bullpen, he tried to leave through the elevator and that was not going to happen again.

"Alright." She stood up and hoisted him on her hip. She dug through her purse to find one of his pacifiers and turned to her dad. "I'll be right back."

Luckily, the break room was empty, so she could sit on the couch with Noah. The second she sat down, he was trying to get away, but she held onto him.

"Here," she murmured before handing him his pacifier.

Since he became more relaxed, she leaned back on the couch and held him close. She gently moved her fingers through his hair. Eventually his tired eyes started to droop from her soft touch. And when he did fall asleep, she stayed with him for about ten minutes because she didn't want to let him go yet. After, she gently picked him up, so his head was on her shoulder and walked back to her desk.

"He just wanted to see you," her dad whispered with a big smile. He stood up and put Noah's hat back on him. "How are we going to do the coat?"

"Easy. Slide his left arm through first then his right," she softly spoke.

"Is he out?" Ryan asked from his desk.

"Yeah." she nodded. "Okay, when I pass him over, quickly zip up his jacket," she said to her dad.

When Noah's jacket was on him, she kissed his cheek and watched them leave. She sat back down when the elevator doors closed and picked up her phone. There was a missed call from Rick. Without thinking it was a big deal, she called him back.

"Hey," he cheerfully answered.

"You rang?"

"I wanted to make sure Noah wasn't allergic to peanut butter," he said.

"No, he's not. Why?"

"It's a surprise, but I have to let you go."

She could hear Alexis' excited voice through the phone. "Okay. I'll… uh… call you before I leave," she stammered.

"See you soon, Kate."

…..

"Richard, what the hell are you doing?" Martha asked while walking down the stairs.

Rick was sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by train tracks. He was holding one piece and frantically searching for its match, but he was having trouble. He was so into building the set that he didn't hear his mother until the second time she said something.

"I thought I hid those from you when you were twelve," she said.

He looked up and smiled at her. "This isn't for me. It's for Noah. They are coming over for dinner and I thought I'd bring out a toy he could play with since Alexis' stuff is too girly."

"Maybe he likes girly things." She shrugged.

"Doubt it." He looked over toward the couch. "Alexis, wanna help?"

Alexis peeked her head over the arm of the couch. She set down her Etch-a Sketch and ran over. She slid to a stop in front of the tracks.

"This is huge!" she exclaimed with her hands in the air.

"I know! I'm trying to make it go around the living room," he replied even more excited than before.

"Will you ever grow up?" Martha asked before opening the fridge.

"Maybe when you move out."

"Funny man."

"So, Daddy, where does this piece go?" Alexis asked, holding up a curved track.

"Um… try over there." He pointed to a spot closest to the wall.

Alexis gladly ran over and bent down. She got extremely ecstatic that the piece fit and quickly came back over for another. To her it was like one of the puzzles she got from her mom for her birthday, which she loved.

"It fit!"

"Great job," her dad replied with his hand out. She happily high fived him and continued to help.

They finished building it after a half hour and decided to start making peanut butter cookies, one of his specialties. Alexis would have gladly helped, but she fell asleep on the couch while waiting for him to get all the supplies out.

He was just about to put the cookies in the oven when knocking came from the door. He carefully put the tray in the oven and ran over to the disturbance. When he looked through the peephole, he sighed.

Paula.

"Hey-" he said when he cracked the door open.

"What is this?" She shoved a newspaper into his chest, making him almost lose his breath.

"What is what?" he asked, frantically trying to open the paper, but instead dropped it.

"You said you were off the market to take care of Alexis and now I see this?"

"Please be quiet. Alexis is napping on the couch," he murmured while picking up the paper.

"Do you know how many strings I had to pull so this wouldn't get printed?"

"Can you wait until I-" he stopped mid-sentence when he saw the photo of Kate, Noah, Alexis, and himself at the park the other day. His mouth suddenly became dry and he started to panic.

"Relax. I told you I got it off the actual paper. This was just one of the copies that they started to print," Paula said with a more caring tone than before. "So, who is she?"

"See the little boy? That's Alexis' new friend and that's his mom."

"She's not one of your little flings? She damn sure looks like one."

"She's a detective," he replied, hoping that would get Paula off his back.

"Make sure this doesn't happen again because if it does and I have to get it off the paper, I want a raise," she announced before walking back out the door. "I'd stay and lecture you, but I have to be somewhere in twenty minutes."

"I'll be careful next time, promise. And I also wish Henry didn't know who you were sometimes. I like to prepare myself for your visits."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You said that with the last girl, remember?" she replied halfway down the hall.

Oh yeah. He definitely remembered that one. But that was all the girl, he was seeing, wanted. That was what most of the girls he has dated wanted. To be in the spotlight with Richard Castle. None of them wanted love. None of them really cared for him, just to have their fifteen seconds of fame. And the girl Paula was talking about, Andrea, told the press that she was pregnant. All that was after he broke it off with her and it was all a lie. That was why he was taking time off from women until Kate came around. There was something about her. Maybe it was because she treated him like a person and not something that could get you famous. Well whatever it was, he was not letting her get away too soon.

"Daddy?" Alexis' tired voice came from the living room.

"Yes, Pumpkin?" He erased the thoughts in his head until later.

"Are they here yet?"

He could tell she yawned with the last word and it made him smile. "I'll let you know when Kate calls okay?"

"Okay, Daddy."

He heard movement on the couch and then nothing. She must have gone back to sleep. It would make sense because she has been up since six this morning. Not something he wanted to be a regular habit either.

He decided to hang in the kitchen while playing on his phone. After every round of Angry Birds he would check the time. When he checked the tenth time, he sighed. Maybe she was standing him up because it was twenty after four.

Relax, the calmer side of him said. She was a detective and they don't always get out on time. She also had a two year old and if he remembered correctly, Alexis was a huge handful when she was two.

As he was taking a drink from his glass, his phone buzzed in his hand. It actually startled him, which made him choke.

_I'm out now and I kinda need your address._

He quickly texted her back his address and waited for a reply. The whole time he had a huge smile on his face and he couldn't control it.

_I'll be there once I pick up Noah._

All that happened at the perfect time. The cookies were done. His mother was gone for a few hours and Alexis was patiently waiting at his side.

"Oh! You're awake," he exclaimed.

"Yeah." She sleepily nodded her head.

"You can go lay down until they get here, Pumpkin." He smoothed the little hairs that were sticking up on her head and watched as she walk back to the couch.

It was amazing how big she was. By this time last year she was a lot shorter, chunkier and louder. She used to not care how loud she could get. They sometimes ended up having screaming matches followed by loads of laughs. But man she was getting big, which upset him.

By the time he had the cookies laid out on a plate, a buzz from downstairs came from the door.

"I got it," he heard Alexis say followed by her small feet running.

"I told you I have to do it, remember?" he licked his thumb before running over to the door.

"Can I press the button then?"

"Of course. Go ahead." He smiled and watched as she held the button down.

"Yes?" he asked.

"A young woman and her son are here, Mr. Castle," Henry replied.

"Send them right up and thanks."

He lifted Alexis up and tickled her sides before setting her back down again. It had been a long time since he was this excited about anybody coming to visit.

"Hey!" she yelled at him. "Not fair."

"Why don't you go potty before they come up, okay?"

"_Fine._" She crossed her arms and stomped off toward the bathroom.

When she was out of his view, he quickly turned toward the mirror near the door. He brushed his hair back with his hand and breathed into the other. All good.

A few minutes later there were small knocks coming from the door. He shook his hands trying to free himself of the nerves he had and opened it. In front of him was the gorgeous, Detective Kate and Noah, who was trying to pull his hat off only resulting in it being yanked over his eyes.

Rick laughed and moved out of the way, so they could come in. "How are you guys?" he asked once they were in his loft.

"Cold," Kate answered, astounded by his place.

"Yeah, the weather man is saying that we might have snow by the end of the week. I only like snow if there's a fireplace involved, but I don't have one," he said, sounding more disappointed then he meant to. "And how's Noah?" he questioned, bending down in front of him. "Still struggling with your hat?"

"Off," Noah pleaded and continued to pull it with his left hand.

Rick gently pulled it off his head and put it on his. "Does it fit?"

Noah giggled and shook his head before hiding his face in his mom's leg. He really liked the man in front of him, he was funny.

"Here. Let's take your coat and shoes off," Kate finally said after looking around the loft. She bent down in front of Noah and sat him on the floor. By the time she was done taking his shoes and coat off, Alexis was running toward them.

"They're here!" she shouted with joy. "Can we show them the toy?"

"Of course," Rick let Alexis take his hand and lead him toward the train set. Kate and Noah were just a few steps behind them.

"Look at what my daddy made, Noah. And I helped," Alexis said with a lot of pride in her voice.

Noah's eyes went as wide as they could. His grandpa had a pretty big train set, but not like this one. This one went around the whole room and even had hills. He pointed at it and looked up at his mom for approval. When she nodded, he immediately ran to find where the actual train was.

"Noah, the train's right here!" Alexis shouted and ran to chase the train.

"You didn't have to build this for him," Kate whispered when Rick stood next to her.

"I used him coming over for an excuse to build it. Isn't it awesome?"

Kate simply shook her head with a smile. She usually found it a turn off when men had a big childish side to them, but not with Rick. No, this made him more adorable and not the playboy that articles made him out to be. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even hear the small crash.

"Are you okay, Chief?"

Rick's concerned voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked over at Noah who was laying down on the floor by the coffee table. His little whines made her rush to his side and sit down next to him.

"He tripped over… something," Alexis said, still confused on what exactly he tripped over.

"He sometimes trips over his own feet," Kate replied with a smile to Alexis who gave her a shy one in return. "You're okay," she murmured to her Noah and lifted him onto his feet.

Noah held his hands, palms up, toward her. His bottom lip was sticking out as he looked at his hands.

Kate gently kissed them and pulled him in for a big hug. "You're okay, silly."

"Are you guys hungry or do you want to watch a movie first?" Rick asked.

"Movie!" Alexis cheered and hopped up and down. "Can I pick it out?"

"Of course. Just make sure it's a movie we all will like, okay?" Rick answered and smiled when Alexis ran to grab a movie.

Kate stood up and lifted Noah into her arms. When Rick sat down on the couch, she sat next to him with Noah on her right side.

Alexis came running over with the movie _Ice Age_ being held above her head.

"Remember how to put it in the DVD player?" Rick inquired and got a fast nod.

When Alexis done putting the movie in, she grabbed the remote and climbed on the couch by her dad. She watched as he put the movie channel on the TV.

A good half hour into the movie, Noah started to get antsy. He kept looking from his mom to the train track. A sly smile crossed his lips and he slowly climbed off the couch. Hoping nobody would notice, he crawled toward the back of the couch to see if the train was there and to his surprise, it was. Before it could go by him, he picked it up and inspected it.

Kate went to put her arm around Noah and when she couldn't find him, she looked down.

"Um…" Her eyes slowly scanned the room.

"What?" Rick leaned closer and whispered. He got a whiff of her perfume and had to stop himself from trying to steal a kiss. He hated how woman's perfume did that to him, but he wanted to know why she just went 'um.'

"Where'd Noah go?" She turned toward him and noticed he was incredibly close. It made her nervous and she had to bite down on her lip.

"We should _really _stop losing him," Rick laughed, causing her to smile and blush for reasons she didn't know or understand.

Before they stood up to go find him, they heard clanking noises behind them. Kate slowly turned around and looked behind the couch. She smiled when she saw Noah trying to put the train back on the track.

"I don't think he wants to watch the movie," she said to Rick.

"And I think he's hungry," Rick chuckled when Noah put part of the train in his mouth. "I'll go get the food ready and then we can eat."

Kate watched as he walked toward the kitchen. Wow, she has never seen a nice, round ass on a man before. She had to look at Noah to get her mind out of the gutter.

"Noah," she whispered so she wouldn't disturb Alexis.

She wanted to laugh when he looked from side to side not understanding where the voice came from. When he turned around, he gave her a huge smile and held up the train.

"Please," he said.

"How about you come watch the movie?"

"Please!" he yelled this time.

"I'll put it back on," Rick announced when he was walking back toward them.

Kate nodded and turned back around to watch the movie. She noticed that Alexis was a lot closer to her and she didn't mind.

Alexis slowly looked up at Kate. "Are you Daddy's new girlfriend?" she whispered.

"No, sweetie. I'm just his friend," she answered with a smile, even though her heart was racing.

"Okay," Alexis replied, leaning against Kate's arm.

She was still in shock at the three year old's question, but the innocence she had was quite intoxicating. It was easier to shrug off than if it were asked by an older child.

The timer in the kitchen finally went off and Rick jumped up to put the food on plates. He carried them to the table, set them down, and walked back into the living room.

"All set." He grinned, wiping his hands on a towel.

"Spaghetti!" Alexis squealed with excitement and slid off the couch. "My favorite."

By the time they were done eating it was around 7pm. Rick suggested that they play a board game before leaving, so they sat down on the floor until Alexis came over with a game.

"Candy Land?" she questioned because she couldn't read yet.

"That's the one." Rick with an adorable smile that Kate couldn't stop looking at. But when he looked over at her, she instantly looked down at her hands.

"Played before?" Alexis asked Noah who just stared at her, still upset that he was taken away from the train.

"No, he hasn't," Kate answered for him.

"It's fun!" Alexis exclaimed while taking the pieces out.

Noah's eyes fell on the green piece, he reached forward, and took it. When his mom wasn't looking, he started to chew on it and play with the loose button on his shirt.

"Hey!" Alexis shouted at him. "Daddy, he's eating it!" She pointed.

"Hey, hey, hey," Kate said, slowly taking the green piece from Noah. "This is not food."

Once the board was set up, Noah decided to stand up and walk over it, giggling and clapping the whole time.

"I don't think a game was a good idea," Rick laughed and pulled him off.

"I'm sorry," Kate heavily sighed. "He's usually not like this." She took Noah from Rick and sat him in her lap. "Let's play the game," she said to him. "Okay?"

"Here," Rick happily spoke, handing Noah the train from the track, creating a big smile.

At the end of the game, Rick and Alexis were on the same spot. Whoever rolled a three would win. It took a few tries, but Alexis rolled a three. She moved her piece to the finish and stood up. Her little happy dance made all of them laugh.

"I never winned before!" she said very loudly.

"You never won," Rick pointed out the correction.

"Yeah!"

"Good job," Kate said with a small laugh. "I think we should get going now, though."

"Why?" Alexis questioned, less cheerful than a few seconds ago.

"I have to work in the morning, sweetie, and it's almost Noah's bedtime," Kate answered with a slight grin.

"Maybe they can come over later this week, Pumpkin," Rick said, trying to cheer her up.

"Really?" Alexis shyly asked.

"I'll call your dad later this week, okay?" Kate reassured her and started picking up the game. When it was in the box, she stood up with Noah and headed toward the door, Rick not too far behind.

"Here's his coat." Rick slid it onto Noah. "And his hat." He gently put it on his head. "I'm… we're happy you came," he said with a charming smile.

"Me too." Kate sluggishly whispered.

If it wasn't their second time hanging out, Rick would have definitely kissed her right then and there, but he didn't want to overstep and have her run the opposite way. He would wait until she was ready, whenever that was.

"I'll see you soon?" he asked and got a slight nod. "Have a good night," he said when he opened the door.

"Daddy?" Noah looked up and asked.

Both Kate and Rick's faces went a few shades lighter. They looked at each other, trying to figure out what to say to Noah.

Kate was the first to say something. "No, buddy. This is Mommy's friend and Alexis' daddy," she nervously whispered.

Noah looked up at Rick and smiled. "Keep?" He held up the train he had been holding the entire time.

"No, sweetie. That's his train. We can keep it here so you can play with it again, okay?" Kate inquired with a smile.

"Actually, he can take that one. I have a whole box of trains for the tracks. One less train wouldn't hurt." Rick replied with a charming grin and pulled Noah's hat over his ears.

"What do you say?" Kate asked Noah.

"Thank you," Noah said with a happy smile while staring at the train in his hands.

"Let's go before it gets even later," Kate announced as she lifted him up. "Say bye."

"Bye," Noah waved at Rick and Alexis, who was watching from the other room.

Once they were in the elevator, Kate received a text. She opened her phone to see that it was from Rick.

_Close one, but I can understand where the confusion came from._

She ran her fingers through her son's curls. If only his dad was actually around, he wouldn't have gotten so confused. And he wouldn't have made them feel so awkward after a fun night. Thankfully Rick understood where it all came from or she wouldn't have been able to talk to him for awhile.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Thoughts? And I checked the hit counter for this fic. Holy **** Why you guys so silent? I'm kidding though.<strong>_


	4. Chapter 4

Kate was thankful that she had the next two days off today. The only downfall was that she was on call, but since a body hasn't dropped for three weeks, it was highly unlikely that she'd be called in. So, she took today as a cleaning day and so far her room was taking the longest. Maybe if she cleaned her room more than she her son's room it wouldn't be so dusty.

She was just about done when she ran out of _Pledge_. She continuously shook the can, hoping more would magically appear. When it didn't, she walked out of her room and toward the kitchen. She knew there was another one under the sink, but before she went to grab it, her eyes fell on Noah. He was standing by the living room window while on his tiptoes. His face was as close to the glass that it could get and his hands were directly next to it.

"What are you lookin' at, buddy?" she asked when she reached him. She peaked through the blinds to see that the whole street was covered in snow. And it didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon.

"Is pretty," Noah said, pointing to the window. "Play!" he shouted and ran toward the door. He grabbed onto the door handle and tried to get out.

"It's too cold to go play outside," she said, running over to the door and holding it closed when it opened a little. It was impossible not to laugh when he grunted and continued to pull the handle. "Come on," she finally gave in and picked him up so he was under her arm. "You can watch a movie in my room."

Just before they were about to go into her room, knocking came from the door. She looked down at her son who was swinging his arms, paying no attention to the noise. When she opened it, she was beyond surprised.

"Maddie!" she exclaimed, setting her son down to give her friend a hug. "H-how did you find me?"

"I've been meaning to look you up ever since I saw the paper with NYPDs best detective," Maddie teased with a smile.

"My dad, huh?"

"Still the same house number," Maddie smiled.

"Well, come in. Come in," Kate let her into the apartment, closed the door, and locked it so Noah wouldn't get out if he tried.

"Who's the little guy?" Maddie asked while taking her shoes off.

Noah was too busy touching the snow that she dragged in. He picked it up and held it in his hands, filled with amazement when it eventually disappeared.

"That's my son, Noah," Kate said as she ruffled his hair.

"Are you serious?" Maddie's eyes were very wide. She knelt down in front of Noah and studied him for a second. "He definitely has your looks," she said. "I'm your mommy's best friend," she smiled at him and got a shy one in return. "He's so adorable!"

"Trust me, he can be loads of trouble," Kate replied with a nod.

"Like someone I know," Maddie nudged her friend with a laugh.

"Would you like a cup of coffee?" Kate asked.

"Sure," Maddie answered while taking her coat off and looking around the apartment. "You did good, Becks."

"I guess so," Kate said as she poured the coffee into two cups. She handed one to Maddie and lead her into the living room. "So what have you been up to?"

"I run a restaurant now," Maddie answered very proudly.

"Good for you," Kate replied with a smile.

"I'm guessing you have a man since you have a son."

"Actually, I don't. He chose his job over Noah. Broke my heart and everything," Kate said while looking into her cup. "But Noah makes up for it," she smiled at her son who was rolling a few of his cars in the kitchen. "How about you? Any special guys?"

"I'm seeing someone, but nothing too special. There's no spark."

"Yeah, you were the one who always looked for the 'spark' with boys in high school," Kate teased before taking a cautious sip of her coffee.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. It would be nice to find the one, you know?"

"I know, but I'd rather worry about Noah."

"Well I don't have a kid so, that's out of the question," Maddie laughed and looked over at Noah. She was still astounded that Kate had a son and how much he looked like her. "So, what are you doing today?" she asked, looking back over at Kate.

"No set plans. Why?"

"We should go out to dinner or something. Do you work tomorrow?"

"No, but I'm on call just in case a body drops," Kate answered.

They continued talking for about thirty minutes. Laughing with an old friend was something Kate really needed these days. She ended up looking over at her son with a smile on her face.

She tilted her head to the side. "Noah, what are you doing?"

Noah came running over with a box of _Fruit Roll Ups_. He stopped a few feet away from his mom because he didn't know the other lady and shook the box. When the top opened, the _Fruit Roll Ups_ came flying out. He turned it upside down so they would all fall onto the floor.

"Is this what you would call trouble?" Maddie asked with a laugh. "I'd call that adorable."

"Noah…" Kate couldn't help but smile. She got off the couch and squatted down next to him. "Now, put them back in the box. You can only have one."

He quickly picked them up and put them back in the box except two. He held onto both of them and held them to his mom.

"Only one," she said.

"No," he shook his head. "This many," he held them up.

"I said only one, Noah," she responded, gently taking one out of his hand and putting it back in the box. She took the other one from him and opened it. "Here."

"So… wanna go to a club tonight?" Maddie asked.

"If I can find a sitter, sure."

"Awesome! If you can't find one, I'm sure we could do it some other time."

"Let's hope I do," Kate replied, watching her son eat his snack.

"Alright," Maddie said, getting up. "I should get going. What's your number so I can call you later?"

Kate gave her, her number and walked her to the door. She had to hold onto Noah's hand so he wouldn't run out.

"I'll talk to you later, Becks. Bye, Noah," Maddie waved with a smile.

Kate closed the door and looked down at her son. "Let's see who can watch you tonight."

"No," he shook his head.

Just then, her phone started to go off. She quickly took it out of her pocket, hoping that it wasn't the precinct. When she saw the number that appeared, she smiled.

"Hey," she answered, letting Noah lead her into his room.

"Did you see the snow?" Rick asked.

"I did. Noah thought he was going to go play in it," she replied and watched as her son went to grab something from his closet.

"That's why I'm calling. I was wondering if you guys would like to go sledding later. I know the perfect place."

"Isn't it too cold for a two year old?"

"If it gets too cold we can hang out inside."

"About what time would we be leaving?"

"Maybe a couple of hours. Alexis really wants to go," he chuckled.

"Let me find a sitter for later tonight and I'll head over there."

"What's tonight?" he asked, hoping he wasn't prying.

"Just going out with my best friend from high school. Hopefully we won't be out too late."

"If you don't find anyone, I'd be willing to watch him."

Noah carried his _LeapPad_ over to his mom and held it up. She gladly took it and sat down on the floor. He immediately climbed onto her lap before she turned it on. She was glad he did this because it gave her more time to think of a reply to give Rick.

"Are you sure? I don't want him to be uncomfortable or anything," she finally said.

"He'll be too busy having fun with us that he won't even realize you're gone. I won't just sit him in front of the TV like most sitters do."

"First, let me see if my dad can. If he can't I'll let you know."

"And I'll be picking you guys up in two hours. Sound good?" he asked and she could hear the excitement in his voice.

"Yeah. Sounds good."

"See you guys soon."

"Bye," she ended the call and set her phone on the floor next to her. She wrapped her arms around Noah's small body. "Wanna go sledding with Alexis in a little while?" she asked.

Noah tilted his head back so he could see his mom's face. He gave her a big smile. "Yeah!"

"Okay, but first I need to finish cleaning my room," she kissed the side of his face and lifted him up. She carried him into her room and set him on the bed. "You can stay in here while I finish, okay?"

"Okay," he nodded and continued playing with his _LeapPad_.

…..

"Daddy, it's too hot in this," Alexis whined, trying to pull her snow suit off at the same time.

"But you need to stay warm while we go sledding. I can't let you catch a cold," Rick responded while looking for his hat and gloves in the closet.

"Can I take my hat and gloves off for a few minutes?" she pleaded.

"Okay, okay. Here," he turned around and pulled her gloves and hat off. He set them on the ground in front of her. "Better?"

"No," she pouted, hoping it would get him to take all the snow suit stuff off.

"Aha. Found them," he smiled at her before putting his own hat and gloves on.

"Too hot," she crossed her arms and looked down at the floor.

"You won't say that when we go outside," he smiled and put her hat back on her. "You can take your hat and gloves off once we get in the car since it will be warm in there."

"What about my coat?" she asked with a smile.

"We will have to see how warm the car is, okay?"

"Okay," she sighed.

Rick took her hand in his and walked out of the loft. He chuckled when Alexis skipped to the elevator and pushed the down button.

"Can I go down the big hill this time, Daddy?" she asked while continuously pressing the down button.

"Maybe," he answered and gently pulled her hand away.

"Is Noah gonna go on a sled?"

"Yes, but he will have to ride with his mom or myself."

"Why?"

"Because he's a lot smaller than you. I don't want the snow monster to hurt him," he answered and tried not to laugh when Alexis' eyes went wide in fright. "I'm only kidding. There are no such things as snow monsters."

"Not funny," she pouted as the elevator doors opened.

"I know."

Once outside, Rick held onto his daughter's hand a little tighter. He didn't want to lose her in the streets. He did over the summer and it was not fun.

"Where's the car?" she asked impatiently.

"Right here," he answered and opened the back door. He let her climb onto her seat and pulled her coat off. "It's warm in here so, you can keep it off until we get there," he said as he buckled her in. "All set?"

"Ready," she smiled before pulling her hat off.

Rick closed the door and patted the window before running to the driver's side. He got in as fast as he could and blared the heat a little more. He was happy that the streets weren't too busy today, thanks to the snow.

The ride to Kate's could have been shorter if some idiot wasn't on their phone while driving. Cops were never around when things like this happened. Too bad Kate wasn't in the car, but she probably wouldn't have arrested the guy on her day off. And she was also a homicide detective. He wondered if that mattered when making arrests like these.

"Are we there yet?" Alexis asked out of impatience.

"One more block," he answered with a lot of happiness in his voice.

Within the next five minutes, they pulled up in front of Kate's apartment. Rick took his phone out and shot her a text saying that they were here. When he saw them coming out of the building, he got out of his car to help her get Noah's car seat in the back.

Once the seat was secure in the back, Kate placed Noah in it and buckled him. She gently pulled his hat and gloves off so he wouldn't get too hot. She kissed his nose before shutting the door and getting in on the passenger side.

"Hi, Alexis," she greeted as she buckled herself in.

"We're going sledding!" Alexis cheered. "Daddy said that Noah can't sled by himself."

"Not yet, sweetie," Kate replied with a smile. "He's still too little."

"That's what Daddy said," Alexis nodded and looked over at Noah who was looking out the window. "We can build a snowman," she smiled.

"Snowman go boom!" Noah giggled, but Alexis didn't find it funny.

"No! You can't do that!" she yelled at him.

"Hey, hey," Rick said louder than her. "We can build two. One for you and one for Noah to knock down."

"Yeah," Noah slowly nodded with a big smile.

"That's mean," Alexis huffed.

"How about we turn a movie on?" Rick asked, trying to get rid of the little argument. "_Finding Nemo_ sound good?"

"You have those little TVs on the backs of the seats, don't you?" Kate rolled her eyes with a slight smile.

"Yup. The portable DVD player kept getting lost or broken so, I gave in and had them installed," he said as he pulled over. Once the car was in park, he quickly put _Finding Nemo_ in and turned the volume up, but not too loud.

"So, where are we going?"

"Pillgrim Hill in Central Park and then random hills we find ourselves," he answered with a smile.

"The one that gets crowded?" she asked while biting down on her lip.

"It's really fun for the kids. They can make other friends and have races," he reassured her. "Last year I got a group of kids to help build an igloo. It was awesome!"

"Maybe I should have brought a leash," she joked to get over being nervous.

…..

Rick pulled the kids on one of the sleds toward the hill. Kate walked behind him, keeping an eye on her son because he kept trying to stand up. And the first time, he fell off the sled and was left behind for a few minutes.

"Here we are," Rick announced.

"Wow there are a lot of kids here," Kate said while scanning this part of the park.

Noah pushed one of the sleds to the top of the hill. He quickly sat on it and tried to get it to go down. Alexis watched him then realized that he wasn't supposed to go down by himself.

"Daddy!" she yelled and pointed to Noah.

Kate quickly looked over at her son who was slowly going down the hill. She instinctively dove to grab the edge of the sled to stop him. She held onto it as she sat down and pulled it back up.

"Noah James," she said out of breath. "Don't you ever try to do this again."

"Fast!" Noah pointed down the hill with a big smile.

"Alright," she replied and lifted him up so she could sit on the sled too. She let him sit between her legs as her arms wrapped around him.

"Let's push them, Daddy," Alexis said and ran toward them.

"One. Two. Three," Rick counted and they both pushed them down the hill.

They ended up going backwards because Kate tried to avoid hitting a little kid. She also kept a pretty good grip on her son because he kept trying to stand up. When they finally got to a standstill, Noah got up and clapped.

"Again!"

"In a second," she replied, standing up to get the sled and head back up the hill.

As she looked up she saw her son already running to Alexis and Rick. She smiled and chased him, causing him to laugh and fall. He slid down a few feet and decided it was best to crawl up.

"Our turn!" Alexis shouted and sat on her dad's lap. "Can Noah come with us?"

"You have to hold onto him really tight," Rick answered and held his hand out for Noah.

"I'll put him on," Kate said with a smile and sat her son in front of Alexis. "Hold on tight."

"Got him," Alexis smiled and held onto Noah as tight as she could.

Kate pushed them down the hill and laughed when she heard Rick screaming down the hill. This family was so hard to keep up with, but incredibly fun. Something her and Noah haven't had with other people in forever.

"Don't eat the snow!" Alexis yelled while walking back up the hill.

"He can eat it, just not the yellow kind," Rick said to her and lifted Noah up since he kept sliding down. "Some needs a little more strength in their legs."

"Your turn," Alexis said to Kate and Rick.

"We can't leave you two by yourselves," Kate said to Alexis.

"Let's all try getting on the sled together," Rick suggested with a childish grin.

He sat down in the back and patted the spot in front of him for Kate. She shook her head with a smile and sat in between his legs. Next, Alexis sat in front of her with Noah. They were all pretty squished and laughing when they went down the hill slower than before. They waited a few minutes before getting up. They tiredly walked back up the hill and sat down for a few more minutes.

An hour went by until Noah's eyes fell on a bigger kid standing on a snowboard at the top of the hill. His eyes went really wide and he ran over to him.

"Hey little dude," the kid said and gave him a high five. "You have to be bigger to try a snowboard," he smiled and guided himself to go down the hill.

Noah decided it would be fun to run down the hill. Less than halfway down, he fell on his stomach and continued to slide because of the material of his snow suit.

"Noah, wanna go get hot-" Rick stopped when he noticed that Noah wasn't near them. His eyes scanned the hill and he saw him sliding down it. "Noah!"

"What?" Kate was confused and let her eyes fall where Rick's were. "Oh my god!" she stood up and ran down the hill. She slid to a stop by her son and grabbed his hood to stop him. "Jesus Christ, Noah," she said.

"Let go!" he yelled at her.

She ignored his yelling and picked him up. When she got back to Rick and Alexis, they were standing.

"Can we build a snowman now?" Alexis asked with her shy smile.

"Sure, but let's go to a different part of the park," Rick said while looking at Kate.

They finished building the snowman after twenty minutes. It took them awhile because Noah kept trying to run off. And every time he came back, he would destroy parts of the snowman.

"Perfect," Alexis finally said while observing it. "Can we go home and have hot cocoa?" she asked her dad. "It's cold."

"Of course," Rick answered with a big smile. "Besides I think being inside would be a good idea."

"I think so too," Kate added in before hoisting Noah up a little more. "Someone doesn't like to listen," she said to him and got a smile in return, making it hard for her to be mad.

A good fifteen minutes went by until they walked into Rick's loft. He helped his daughter out of her boots, gloves, snow pants, coat, and hat. He hung them up so they wouldn't get the floor soaked.

"Cocoa!" Alexis shouted and ran to the kitchen, waiting patiently.

Kate set Noah and his diaper bag on the floor. She had to hold him still in order to take his snow things off.

"You are so energetic today," she said as he ran off. "I have no idea where it came from," she said to Rick who was hanging his coat up.

"Must be the fresh air?" he gave her a sidewards smile.

"Are you sure you want to watch him tonight? I might be out until midnight or later…"

"I can handle it. Plus, my mother will be here in the morning. Her and Alexis have a little date at 9am, which means I can sleep in," he helped her out of her coat and hung it with the rest. "Until then, let's have some hot cocoa."

…..

"Noah James, it is bath time. Hiding won't make it go away," Kate said while searching for her son.

She stood in the middle of the living room and crossed her arms. How could a two year old hide and stay quiet so well? The search went on for another ten minutes until she heard small knocks coming from the apartment door. She gave up looking for her son and opened the door.

Noah looked up at his mom with a giant smile while holding Maddie's hand. "I found someone," Maddie said.

"Oh my god," Kate ran her fingers through her hair and let them inside. She bent down in front of Noah and took his hands. "Don't you ever, ever leave this house again. You're too little and you could be taken from me," she said with a meaner voice than anticipated, but it was hard not to since she this made her scared.

"More like he would have gotten hit by a car," Kate looked up at her friend. "I grabbed him just as he took a few steps from the curb."

Kate closed her eyes and bit down on her bottom lip. "Maybe I shouldn't leave him with Castle. He's causing so much trouble today and I don't know why."

"Does he usually try to leave the apartment?" Maddie asked while taking her coat off.

"Yes, but he has never succeeded before."

"Maybe you should get one of those chain locks and put it out of his reach," Maddie shrugged and walked into the living room.

"Good idea. Until then, it's bath time, mister," Kate said as she lifted her son up and struggled to carry him in the bathroom because he was trying to get down. "You can come in here with us if you want, Maddie," she yelled to her friend.

Maddie quickly walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She sat down on the toilet and pulled the Cosmo magazine off the sink.

"So, who's Castle?" she asked before flipping the next page.

"Noah's friend's dad," Kate answered while she lifted her son's shirt above his head.

"Castle as in Richard Castle?"

"Yeah…"

"Becks, you're dating your favorite author!" Maddie set the magazine down and focused on her friend.

Kate lifted her son into the tub and sat him down. She handed him one of his toy boats and watched him play. She wasn't dating Castle, she was just letting their kids play together and he always had her come along. If they were dating they would be alone somewhere, not with two toddlers running around.

"No, I'm not dating him," she finally answered while rolling up her sleeves.

"You want to. I can hear it in your voice," Maddie teased.

"He's… charming, but I don't know. I think I should focus on Noah right now," Kate replied before slowly pouring water over Noah's head.

"No! Stop!" Noah tried to cover his head.

"We go through this every time," Kate said to Maddie. "You think he'd be used to it by now."

"Must be a boy thing. The whole not wanting to get clean," Maddie shrugged. "But you should totally go after Castle or do you call him Rick?"

"I call him both names," Kate answered while carefully rubbing shampoo in Noah's curly hair.

"Becks, you need to just go for it."

"I don't think I want to, Maddie. He just got through a messy divorce and I'd rather not be his rebound."

"So you do want to date him."

"Maddie!"

"Fine. Whatever," Maddie responded giving a her friend a glare before picking the magazine back up.

"Stand up," Kate said to her son. She gently washed his body before letting him sit back down. "You can play for a little bit," she smiled at him and turned toward her friend. "Where are we going tonight?"

"Not sure yet. Club hopping sound good?" Maddie asked.

"As long as we don't have to wait outside for too long, sure."

Just then, Kate felt a large amount of water land on lap. She looked toward the tub to find Noah splashing around like crazy. The sound of Maddie laughing, made her give her a look to shut up.

"Noah…"

He immediately stopped when his mom's attention was fully on him. He squinted his eyes at her and gently patted the water.

"He is just like you, I swear," Maddie said through her hands. "Causing trouble when not being watched and instantly being good when he is."

"Shut up," Kate rolled her eyes. "Don't splash like that, okay? You can only do big splashes in pools," she said to her son as she touched the water to see if it was cold. "Time to get out."

"Here's his towel," Maddie handed her friend the light green towel.

…..

"This is his place?" Maddie asked when they were outside Rick's loft.

"Yeah," Kate answered before knocking. She put Noah on her other hip and waited patiently.

When Rick opened the door, he instantly smiled at Kate. He let them in before introducing himself to Maddie.

"I'm Rick," he held out his hand.

"I'm Maddie."

"I presumed," he smiled while shaking her hand. "Did someone take a bath before coming here?" he asked Noah who nodded with his fingers in his mouth. "Alexis just got out of hers."

"We're gonna build a fort!" Alexis exclaimed from the living room.

Kate set Noah down before taking his coat and hat off him. She hung the coat up and stuffed his hat down one of the sleeves.

She handed Rick his diaper bag. "Everything's in there," she said. "But if something happens, please call me."

"Nothing is gonna happen," he reassured her. "Just pure fun."

"Okay," she smiled and knelt down in front of Noah. "I'll be back in a little while, okay?" his small arms clung onto his mom when she hugged him. "Be a good boy," she kissed his cheek before waving goodbye to Rick and Alexis.

"Have fun, ladies," Rick said before they walked out the door. "I like your pajamas, Noah."

Noah plopped on the floor with his watery eyes glued to the door. He put his fingers back in his mouth before actually crying.

Upon hearing the crying, Alexis came running over as fast as she could. "What's wrong?" she asked her dad.

"He's upset that his mom left," Rick answered with a frown. He hated when little kids he knew cried because he always felt useless.

Alexis went on her knees in front of Noah and smiled at him. "She'll be back," she nodded. "Wanna help build a giant fort?"

Noah rubbed his eyes and nodded. He let Alexis take his hand and lead him into the living room. When she hopped onto the blankets, he giggled.

"All good, Chief?" Rick asked and got a small smile in return.

They spent a half hour turning the entire living room into a fort big enough for adults. Rick ended up bringing popcorn and games into it. They played for a couple hours until he checked his watch.

"_Wow_. It's late, guys," he said to the kids. He smiled because he could tell they were sleepy. "Let's put a movie in and lay down in the sleeping bags."

"Okay," Alexis nodded sleepily and climbed into hers.

Noah looked up at Rick confused. He has never stayed at someone's house during the night before and it honestly frightened him. His bottom lip started to quiver as his eyes filled with tears.

"Don't worry, Chief. By the time the movie is over your mom will be here," Rick pulled him onto his lap and got the two of them into the sleeping bag.

"You're silly, Daddy," Alexis giggled when she saw them sharing the sleeping bag.

Two hours later, Rick's phone was buzzing. He swatted the air with his free hand not wanting to answer it, but realized that Noah was still here. He quickly searched for it and picked it up.

"Castle," his voice a bit raspy.

"Were you sleeping or something?" Kate asked.

"N-no. Just… laying here," he replied and heard laughing in the background. "What?"

"Would you mind letting us in?" she questioned.

"Yeah, hold on one second," he ended the call and set his phone down.

As carefully as he could, he got Noah off his chest and laid him on the pillow. He smiled when the toddler's thumb instantly went into his mouth. While crawling out of the fort, he realized his hair was probably a tad messy. So, he frantically tried to smooth it down before opening the door.

"You were asleep," Kate shook her head and smiled. "Where is he?"

"He's asleep under the fort," Rick yawned and smiled at Maddie. "You girls have fun?"

"Maddie is… wasted," Kate answered for her and guided her friend into the loft. "Wait here," she gave Maddie a look before walking toward the fort. "Wow," her mouth dropped at how big the fort really was. It covered all the living room furniture, except the coffee table wasn't actually where it should be. "How long did this take?"

"A half hour," Rick answered with a lot of pride in his voice. "I build them pretty quick because Alexis always wants one at least twice a week."

Kate opened the front and peeked inside. Her heart melted at the sight of her son and Alexis sleeping next to each other.

"I don't want to disturb him," she whispered.

"I didn't," Rick shrugged.

"What?"

"I think he was scared to fall asleep in my house so, I let him lay in the sleeping bag with me. When I got up, he stayed asleep."

"Huh," Kate shot him an admirable smile and crouched to walk in the fort.

She looked over at Alexis whose hair was in her face. Gently, she moved it behind her ear. The adorableness of this three year old was intoxicating. It almost made her want to have a daughter of her own, but she didn't really want another kid. Noah was enough. Her eyes fell onto her son and she gently lifted him into her arms. His thumb slid out of his mouth while his head laid on her shoulder.

"He's a heavy sleeper," Rick whispered when they were out of the fort.

"I know," Kate responded before walking over to the door. "Wanna help me put his coat on him?"

"Sure," he smiled and quickly helped her.

"I gotta pee," Maddie interjected.

"You can use my bathroom," Rick smiled. "Follow me."

"I'll be… _yeah_," Maddie said to Kate and followed the man in front of her.

Once she finished in the bathroom, she opened the door and put her hand up on the door frame.

"Are you gonna date, Kate?" she asked.

"What?" Rick's voice was suddenly higher.

"You know. Kiss, kiss. Bang, bang. All that jazz."

"I didn't plan on it anytime soon. I'm still getting to know her."

"She likes you, Rick," she put her hand on his shoulder. "I'd take advantage of that," she said before almost losing her balance.

"Let's get you home," he said even though his mouth was getting dry.

"Jesus, Maddie," Kate shook her head when she saw her friend being half carried.

"I'll help you bring her downstairs," Rick said.

"What about Alexis?"

"My mother's up in the guest room," he reassured her.

Once they had Maddie and Noah settled in the back seat of the car, Kate turned toward Rick.

"Thank you," she said.

"Anytime, Kate. It was fun," he smiled even though what he really wanted to do was kiss her, but he knew better.

He watched as she got into the car and drove off. He probably stood there for another ten minutes still trying to wrap his mind around what Maddie said. If she was speaking the truth then he needed to ask Kate on a date. A date that didn't involve two toddlers that required most of the attention, leaving it hard for him to flirt

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I wrote most of this while sick and it actually makes sense!<strong>_

_**Thoughts?**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN: A little shorter than the others, but this one has a good ending, I promise :D Enjoy.**_

* * *

><p>"Daddy?" Alexis walked into her dad's office to find that he wasn't there.<p>

She headed into his bedroom and saw a big lump in the middle of the bed. The closer she got, the louder the snoring was. It was hard for her to not giggle as she climbed on up.

"Daddy?" she whispered this time and poked the blankets. The next snore he did was louder than the others and it made her jump. "You're faking!" she jumped onto him and patted his head.

Rick decided to have a little fun with his daughter and began to make growling noises. He slowly started to stand up and he felt her weight transfer to the other side of the bed. He tried not to go out of character when he felt a pillow hit him a few times. Eventually, he got the blanket over the both of them and tickled her until she started to scream for help.

"Can we go to Kate's house?" Alexis asked as she crawled out of the blankets.

"Hand me my phone and you can call her," he smiled and pointed to the side table.

"I can't reach it," she tried really hard to grab the phone.

He gently grabbed her legs and pulled her closer to him, causing giggles. He crawled over her and grabbed his phone before she could try to again. A few seconds went by until he got to Kate's name and he paused for a moment.

"It's kind of early to call. How about we wait a couple of hours?" he asked his daughter.

Alexis tilted her head to the side a little, studying her dad. She didn't want to wait. She wanted to go visit her friend now because she was bored.

"No," she finally replied.

"We have to. It's way too early and she might still be asleep."

"Why?"

"Because she's tired. How about we get you something to eat while we wait?"

"Fine," she huffed and slid off the bed. "Can we have chocolate pancakes?"

"Yeah, as long as we still have chocolate chips left."

An hour swiftly went by and Rick decided to check his email. Alexis walked into his office and patiently waited against his desk.

"Can we call now?" she asked, scaring her dad in the process.

"You scared me," he smiled and checked the time. "I guess we can try calling," he said and found Kate's number before hitting send.

Alexis took the phone from her dad and put it on her ear. She patiently waited, but ended up getting Kate's voicemail. She looked down at the phone confused and held it up to her dad.

"No answer?" he asked.

"It beeped at me," she frowned and looked down at the floor.

"Let's try again. Maybe she wasn't near her phone," he smiled and tried Kate's number again before handing his daughter the phone.

"Hello," Kate said on the other end.

"Hi Kate!" Alexis said while smiling up at her dad.

"Alexis?"

"Yeah."

"What's up?"

"Can I come over?"

"Aw, sweetie, Noah's sick and I don't want you to get what he has."

Alexis handed her dad the phone and quickly crawled under his desk.

"Hey," Rick said with a confused tone. "I'm guessing you said no."

"Noah's really sick," Kate replied.

"How sick? I can bring over this soup I always give Alexis and it helps her."

"Bad enough to where I have to call into work. I can't leave his side unless he's dead asleep which isn't often."

"We are definitely gonna make soup for him and bring it over. And don't worry about us getting sick. Alexis got the flu shot because one time she got so sick that I had to bring her to the hospital and that is not happening ever again," he said and looked under his desk at his daughter. He gave her an okay sign with his hand.

"If you say so… I'm not gonna let you guys stay too long though. I'm exhausted and want to nap later, okay?"

"Alrighty. We can be there in… about an hour or so. Is that good?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

"See you soon," he ended the call and set his phone down.

"Yay! We are going to go play at Kate's house!" Alexis cheered and clapped.

"Noah can't play, but we can still go visit, okay?"

"Oh yeah. Can we bring him something to make him feel better?"

"Let's go make him soup," he smiled as he took her hands in his.

…..

Kate gently ran her fingers through her son's curly hair. She hated that he was this sick because there was nothing she could do to make it go away. One good thing was that he finally fell asleep on her about ten minutes ago, even though she felt it wasn't a comfortable position for him. But as long as he was asleep, she tried not to let it bother her.

When small knocks came from her apartment door, she swore under her breath. There was no possible way she could get up and answer it without disturbing her son. He usually slept through anything, but not when he's sick.

She looked down at him and couldn't help but smile at the way he was holding his pacifier. "Please don't wake up," she whispered and slowly started to stand, holding his head to her chest.

Within a few seconds she was standing and he was still asleep. But she ran into a dilemma when she stood in front of the door. Both of her hands were occupied with holding her son that it would be impossible to unlock the door handle without waking him.

She had to bend down enough to use the hand that was underneath his bottom. A couple of attempts later and it was unlocked. She quickly opened it before she lost her balance and smiled at who was on the other side.

"Hi," Alexis smiled with a bowl in her hand. "I made soup."

"We made it," Rick smiled then let his eyes fall on Noah. "Let's whisper so we don't wake him. Okay?" he said to Alexis.

"Got it," she nodded.

Kate slightly shook her head with a smile and let them in. She carefully scooted Noah up, hoping it wouldn't disturb him, but it did. She felt his face rub onto her and she looked over at Rick.

"Is he up?" she whispered.

Rick finished hanging their coats up when he walked over to her. He smiled when Noah's eyes fell onto him. "Hey, Chief. I hear you don't feel too good."

"Hi, Noah," Alexis waved up at him with a smile.

Noah turned his head the other way and started to whine. His hand gripped onto his mom's shirt a little tighter than when he fell asleep.

"Alexis, do you want to watch a movie?" Kate asked the toddler who was trying to fix her bracelet.

"Yeah. What movie?"

"How about _The Lion King_?"

"My favorite!" Alexis smiled and followed Kate and Noah into the living room. She saw a large bean bag chair near the couch and pointed at it. "Can I sit on that?"

"Of course," Kate replied as she searched for the movie.

"I got it," Rick said to his daughter who was trying to drag the bean bag chair to the TV. He lifted it up and lightly bopped her on the head with it before setting it down. "Got the movie?" he asked Kate who happily handed it to him.

He inserted the disc into the DVD player and skipped all the previews. Once he hit play, Alexis quickly sat down on the chair and smiled up at her dad.

"Can we get one of these?" she asked him while patting the bean bag chair.

"Sure. Maybe we can get you a purple one," he kissed the top of her head before going to sit by Kate who was on the couch. "How's it goin', Chief?" he asked Noah who just stared at him with tired, heavy eyes.

"He has hardly slept for the past couple of days. When he does sleep it's only for about four hours. Kind of like when he was a baby," Kate said in a whisper so she wouldn't disturb Alexis' movie.

"You should have called. I could have brought the soup over sooner," Rick responded, observing the two year old next to him. "Has he eaten?"

"Barely. I got him to eat a couple pieces of an orange earlier, but that's it," she frowned and wrapped her arms around her son. "I hate when he doesn't feel good."

"It happens," Rick shrugged.

"Daddy, what's Simba's daddy's name again?" Alexis asked.

"Mufa_sa_," he answered, exaggerating the last few letters. He caught Noah smiling up at him and smiled back, but within a few moments, his eyes started to water.

"What's the matter, buddy?" Kate asked when she heard his little whimpers.

"I have an idea," Rick smiled before basically running into the kitchen.

He opened up her freezer, hoping popsicles were in it. When he saw that there were a few boxes, he chose the colorful one. He took two out and opened them up before heading back into the living room.

"One for you, Madame," he smiled and handed his daughter one.

"Thanks," Alexis put the tip in her mouth before smiling up at her dad.

"And one for-" he sat down on the couch and faced Noah. -"you."

Noah hesitantly took the popsicle and held onto it. He took his pacifier out of his mouth and kept it in his other hand before putting a small portion of the popsicle in his mouth. A tired smile formed across his lips before he leaned his head against his mom and focused on the TV.

"Genius," Kate whispered to Rick who gave her that adorable grin he always uses. She found herself blushing and had to look down at Noah so he wouldn't notice.

"It's weird how sad a lot of kid's movies actually are," Rick said as he leaned back more.

"Mhm," she replied, fighting to stay awake.

About twenty minutes later, Rick had to go to the bathroom. He looked over at Kate to ask where it was, to find that she dozed off with Noah still awake.

"Do you want a drink?" he whispered to him and got a small nod in return. "Wanna show me which one?"

Noah nodded again before crawling off his mom and onto Rick's lap. He rubbed his eyes as he was lifted up and brought into the kitchen. When the fridge was open, he pointed to the green juice in the front.

Rick smiled, took out the bottle, and carried it to the counter. He looked over in the living room to find that his daughter fell asleep curled up on the bean bag chair.

"Must be nap time," he said to Noah whose head slowly laid on his chest under his chin. "And here we go," he handed Noah the sippy cup and walked back into the living room. The moment he set him on the couch, he was curled up next to his sleeping mom.

"Where's the bathroom?" Rick whispered.

Noah slowly scooted to the edge of the couch and slid off. He hesitantly took Rick's hand and slowly lead him into the hall and pointed to the bathroom.

"Thanks, Chief," Rick ruffled his hair and walked into the bathroom.

Momentarily, he heard running footsteps coming down the hall. They were too loud to be from one of the kids so that meant Kate was awake. He quickly washed his hands and dried them on the towel. When he opened the door he saw her sitting on the floor, back to him, with Noah laying by her.

"Is he alright?" he asked, but answered his own question when he saw the paper towels. "Puke."

"He won't let me pick him up either," Kate sighed and put the dirty paper towels in a plastic bag.

"Why don't we get you another popsicle?" he said to Noah who just stared at him. "Or not."

"Come on. I can't let you lay here all day," Kate said and lifted her son up and walked back into the living room. She gently laid him down on the couch and put a blanket over him. She handed him the sippy cup and kissed his forehead. "You're still very warm," she said to him and turned toward Rick. "I saw that Alexis fell asleep," she said.

"You put a blanket over her," he smiled when he saw the purple blanket over his daughter.

"She looked cold," she shrugged. "I wish he would sleep so I could at least shower."

"I can watch him while you shower. But if you take longer than thirty minutes, I'm out," he joked.

"You sure?"

"Positive. Now go shower," he smiled and watched her walk down the hall. He sat by Noah's feet and patted his hands on his lap. "Do you want something-" he stopped when he noticed his eyes slowly starting to close.

He decided to get up and pick up some of the mess in the living room. He also gave in and put his daughter on the other end of the couch to sleep. Luckily she didn't wake up when he moved her which was a little odd because she normally did.

Once he was done picking up the small mess, he turned the movie off and decided to watch the news while sitting on the bean bag chair. This wasn't something he did on a daily basis, but there wasn't anything else to do.

A small amount of time passed until he heard a thud coming from the hall. He quickly got up and ran toward the bathroom, thinking Kate might be hurt. Without a pause, he knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" Kate said on the other side.

"I heard a thud. Are you alright?" he asked.

"I knocked the shampoo off the tub when I got out," her laugh made him smile.

"I'll just wait in the… living room," he pointed over his shoulder even though she couldn't see.

Why was he getting nervous? It wasn't like she was going to walk out completely nude. But the scenes that teased his mind definitely made him want her to. Instead of standing in the middle of the room like an idiot, he sat on the arm of the couch and watched the kids sleep.

The way Alexis' thin hair was hanging over her face made him smile. And the way Noah's butt was lifted in the air a little made him want to laugh. He wished he looked this cute when he slept.

Once he turned his head, his eyes fell on Kate. She was drying the ends of her now curly hair with a towel. She was in a red silk robe that accented her curves a lot more than the clothes she was usually in. And her legs. Oh god, her legs. He stood up to get his mind off the trail it was headed to, but the smile she shot him made his knees weak and he had to sit again.

_How was she real?_

"Still asleep?" she asked, letting her wet curls drop.

"Uh… yeah," he stuttered.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm… thirsty. Are you thirsty?" he stood up and quickly walked into the kitchen.

He could hear her following him. Once she stood next to him, he could smell her. It was a faint scent of lavender with a mix of vanilla. He was fighting every urge in his body to pull her in his arms and ravish her.

"I think Noah really likes you," she said as she took the glass he handed her.

"Is that not normal or something?" he asked, pouring the lemonade in each cup.

"He usually doesn't take to guys as well as girls. That is besides Ryan and Esposito, but they have been there since he was born," she answered, taking a sip of her drink.

"He's a cute kid," he smiled at her and got a shy one in return. "Must take after you."

She felt her cheeks get a little hot, but this time she wasn't going to hide her blushing. She wanted him to see and she couldn't exactly figure out why.

"And Alexis' good looks? Where do those come from? They definitely don't come from you," she teased.

"Hey. Actually, she does look a lot like her mom," he shrugged.

"I see a lot of you in her, but then again I've never met her mother."

"You probably never will. Poor girl only sees her every few months. Her heart breaks whenever she leaves the loft too. It takes me a good week to cheer her up again," he frowned and looked into his cup.

"If it's any consolation, I'll never randomly disappear. I consider her my little friend."

He looked up at the wonderful woman next to him. She _definitely_ was not real. There was no way someone could be this nice and beautiful. Absolutely impossible.

"I was thinking-" the way she turned, attention fully on him, made the question a lot easier. "do you want to get a cup of coffee sometime without the kids?" he asked, completely nervous now.

"Yeah. I'd like that," she smiled then bit her lip as she looked into her cup. "I'm going to go get dressed. If Noah wakes up, just let me know."

"Okay," he replied and watched her walk down the hall.

They were going to be going on a date sometime soon. He was nervous and excited at the same time. This was a feeling he hasn't felt in a very long time and he didn't want it to go away. But what would they talk about? Usually it was about their kids. And it was about time he learned more about her and vice versa.

Before his mind could play what he thought would happen in his mind, he noticed that Noah was sitting on the floor.

"What are you doing, Chief?" he asked, not too loud.

"Mommy?" Noah asked out loud and, by the sound of his voice, was on the verge of crying.

Rick practically ran over to the toddler and scooped him up. The way his little hands clung onto his shirt made him smile. He decided to carry him toward his mom's room. He knocked on the door since it was closed and when it opened he was greeted with a smile.

"Hey, buddy," she held her arms out to her son, but he just laid his head on Rick's chest. "You can come in while I put my makeup on, okay?" she kissed his forehead, letting Rick get a whiff of her hair.

Rick hesitantly walked into her bedroom and sat on the bed. Noah refused to get off his lap and kept his head on his chest.

"I told you he really likes you. He has never refused to come to me, definitely when he's sick," Kate shot Rick a smile before turning toward her mirror.

"So… when would you like to get coffee?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Thoughts my loves?<strong>_


	6. Chapter 6

The snow was falling heavily as Rick made his way to his favorite place to get his coffee. If it wasn't for the boots Alexis and his mother bought him earlier this month, he probably would have fallen at least several times. He would have definitely enjoyed sliding his way to his destination if it meant getting there faster, but having a bruised bottom was not on the top of his priority list.

As he rounded the corner to the Cafe, he saw her walking toward him. She wasn't paying much attention, more so watching where she was stepping because the sidewalks were incredibly icy. When she was only a few feet away from him, she looked up. The instant their eyes met, they smiled at each other. He could see the that she was excited in the way she walked. That was until her faster moments made her slip.

"Whoa," he said, rushing forward to catch her. "We should probably get inside," he smiled.

"Sounds like a good idea," she laughed nervously. "I'd prefer not to break a bone when I have a son to go home to."

"I hear you," he replied and lead her to his favorite spot. This spot was where his ideas for most of his books came from. And luckily it wasn't taken today.

Kate shrugged her coat off before setting it on the back of her chair. She sat down and took her gloves off. The whole while she could feel his eyes on her, which made her way more nervous than she already was.

"So, what time do you have to go back to work?" he asked, hoping it wasn't too soon.

"In about an hour. The boys kept complaining about being hungry so the Captain told all of us to go get something to eat before he creates another case," she smiled and shook her head. "Sometimes it's like having two more kids when I'm at work."

"From what I hear, Noah is better behaved," he joked and slowly stood up. "What kind of coffee would you like or should I surprise you?"

"Surprise me," her teasing smile made him want to get her a coffee he knew she would love.

While waiting in line, he felt his phone start to vibrate. He slowly took it out of his pocket and read the name.

Paula.

"_Great_," he mumbled to himself before answering the call. "Castle."

"You were supposed to warn me when you start to date again," her sharpness usually affected him, but not today.

"How-" he slowly scanned the Cafe until his eyes fell on Paula who was standing outside, waving. "Oh."

"It's early so, I won't badger you on this one, but next time give me a call or something. You said it yourself-"

"-I don't want anyone in the spotlight. Yeah, yeah," he rolled his eyes and ended the call. A few minutes later and it was his turn to order.

Kate was busy playing with her phone while waiting that when she got a message, it made her jump. She opened up the text from her dad.

_How do you stop bloody noses? I was told not to tilt your head back_, the text read.

Before she had a heart attack, she quickly pressed his speed dial and impatiently waited for him to answer. And with each ring that passed, her heart picked up more speed.

"Hey, Katie," Jim's happy greeting threw her off.

"Explain your text, Dad," she replied, trying not to sound as mean as she wanted to.

"I bumped my nose and forgot if you were supposed to hold your nose and tilt it back or not," the way his tone wavered was his tell that he was lying.

"Truth, please."

"Noah fell down the stairs."

"And you neglect to call me and tell me?"

"He's okay, Katie. Just a little bloody nose and lip. Nothing is broken," he tried to reassure it, but it wasn't working.

"Let me talk to him."

"Okay," he replied and she could hear the phone exchange. "Say hi," he said to Noah.

"Hi," the sound of Noah's voice made it clear that he was crying not too long ago.

"What happened, buddy?" she asked, checking to make sure Rick wasn't coming back.

"Fell down," he replied.

"Are you okay?"

"Go home now?" his question was directed more towards his grandpa than his mom.

She could hear her dad telling him that it wasn't time yet and that mommy just wanted to talk to him. Then the sound of the phone being exchanged again was heard.

"He's mad now," Jim laughed.

"Tell him that I'll see him before dinner. Hopefully we close this case today," she replied to her dad and saw that Rick was making his way back over. "But I have to go. Love you," she ended the call and set her phone on the table.

"First date and I'm already being cheated on," Rick teased as he handed her, her coffee.

"With my dad? _Gross_," she rolled her eyes and grabbed her cup. The smell of the coffee made her mouth salivate. "What's in this?" she asked, curious.

"Just try it," he smiled before taking a cautious sip from his own cup.

She hesitantly brought the cup to her mouth and took a small sip. Her eyes widened as she swallowed the coffee. It was the sweetest, most delicious drink she has ever tasted.

"Oh my god that's so good," she said before taking another sip.

"Caramel macchiato with a touch of peppermint," he replied with his charming smile.

"Tastes like…" she pursed her lips trying to think of the right word.

"Christmas," he finished her sentence.

"Ugh. I don't wanna think about that. It left me broke last year."

"Tell me about it."

"Like you went broke," she rolled her eyes at him.

"Close enough. And shopping for my mother was where most of it went."

"She seems like she would have an expensive taste."

"You have _no_ idea," he sighed, but then gave her a smile. "So, I don't know much about you, Katherine. Only that you're gorgeous, you have a beautiful son, and that you catch killers for a living."

"What would you like to know?" she slightly rose her eyebrow up a bit.

"Favorite color?"

"Really? Out of all the questions in the world, you want to know my favorite color?" she was laughing at him and had to bite her lip when she saw he was serious. "Okay. It's magenta."

"Keeping a mental note of that," he pointed to his temple then wrapped his hands back around his warm coffee cup.

"I feel like I just told you the biggest secret now," she leaned forward on the table. "What's your deal?"

"And I feel like I'm being interrogated, which is so awesome!"

"Are you going to tell me or not?"

"It's a surprise. Oh, what's Noah's favorite color?"

"…Good question. I really don't think he has a favorite," she looked down at her watch, trying to remember if there was a time she asked her son this question. "How about… you ask him the next time you see him."

"Sounds good," he smiled and took a rather large sip of his coffee. "Oh!" he nearly choked when he swallowed. "Favorite movie?"

"Tough one, but like most girls, I love _Dirty Dancing_. I could sit and watch that a million times a day."

"A sucker for Patrick Swayze?" he rose his eyebrow with a playful smirk.

"Yes," she replied and smiled at his sign of uneasiness. "How about your favorite movie?"

"Let me think," he covered his face with his hands, trying to choose one movie he favors over the others. "_Forbidden Plane_t," he finally answered.

"Into the oldies," she slowly nodded.

"They are the best."

"I agree."

They continued their conversation for another five minutes until they both took a sip of their coffee at the same time. Once Kate set hers back on the table, her phone was going off and it was her dad.

"Go ahead. Ignoring a family member is never okay," Rick said with a sidewards smile.

She quickly picked up her phone. "Yeah?"

"Would it be okay if I dropped Noah off with you? I know you said to never do this without a warning because of your Captain, but I just got called into work. It's urgent," Jim quickly said on the other line.

"Dad… we are working on a case. It would be impossible to have him there with me," she replied, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her free hand.

"What's going on?" Rick mouthed and she simply put up her hand to silence him. But that wasn't going to stop him from coming over to her said and putting his ear close to the phone.

"Really?" she mouthed to him. "Hold on, Dad," she said into the phone. "My dad got called into work and I'm actually on a case so I can't let Noah stay with me for a few hours."

"I'll take him," Rick shrugged with an adorable smile.

"Are you sure?"

"I think I can keep him occupied without Alexis at the house."

"Where's Alexis?"

"My mother took her out Christmas shopping. Alexis usually never agrees to shop unless it's with her Grams."

"Okay," she replied and put her phone back to her ear. "I'll swing by to pick him up," she said to her dad.

"Who's that?" Jim questioned with a curious tone.

"My friend. You will meet him in a few."

"Alright, Katie. See you two soon."

The mocking voice her dad gave made her semi-anxious. She has never let him meet any of the guys she was thinking about dating until they actually were together. And the two after her mother died, well they definitely didn't end well.

"Let's go get little Noah," Rick said, interrupting her thoughts.

…..

As they were walking up to Jim's house, Kate abruptly turned on her heel toward Rick.

"Do not take anything my dad says literally, okay?"

"Roger that," Rick replied and followed her up to the door.

Within seconds of knocking, Jim was opening the door and rushing them inside. He waited patiently as they took their shoes off to introduce himself to the man behind his daughter.

"I'm Jim," he held out his hand and got a firm shake in return.

"Richard Castle."

"Ah. _The_ Richard Castle?"

"Dad," Kate shot him a look to shut up and he gave her a smile.

"Come in, come in," Jim ushered them into the living room.

"Oh my god!" Kate exclaimed when she saw her son relaxing on the couch. She immediately ran over and knelt down in front of him. "You said it was just a bloody nose and lip!" she lightly ran her fingers over the side of his face.

"Roughin' people up are we?" Rick asked Noah when he sat down next to him.

"It looks like someone beat him up," Kate said with a whisper using her finger under his chin to turn his head. "Are you sure he didn't break his nose?" she questioned while examining the bruise under his right eye.

"Well, I'm not one hundred percent certain…" Jim replied, feeling ashamed that he let this happen.

"Does it hurt?" she asked Noah. A sigh escaped her mouth while she pulled his pacifier out of his mouth. She really hated this thing. "Does it hurt?" she repeated.

"Yes," he answered with a slight lisp.

"He won't let me hold the ice on it, but I did use a popsicle for the lip," Jim added in while carrying his grandson's coat over.

"Why was he even on the stairs?" Kate asked with a lot of anger in her voice.

"I supposed he knocked the baby gate down while I was in the bathroom. He has a huge fascination with them," he answered his daughter, ignoring her tone.

"It's probably because you don't have any at your place," Rick added in and got a slight smile from Jim.

"Okay. Whatever," Kate responded, taking Noah's coat from her dad. She pushed the gloves and hat out of the sleeve and gently put them on him before his coat. "Let's go see Aunt Lanie before you go to Castle's, okay?"

Noah simply nodded and put his arms up. She lifted him onto her hip and kissed his cheek. When they got to the door she turned toward her dad.

"Call me later?" she asked.

"Of course," he answered lead them out. "Nice to meet you, Richard," he said before closing the door.

"Nice man," Rick said once they were down the stairs.

"We should probably hail a cab to go see Lanie at the morgue," Kate said while looking around any sign of a car.

"I doubt we will find one here. Let me call my town car driver… What?" he said when she was staring at him.

"Why did you stick up for my dad in there?"

"Because you were being a little… snippy with him," he replied with a hush voice, hoping he wouldn't get her mad.

"Yeah… I kind of was. But look at his face," she gently cupped her son's chin in her hand and looked at his bruises with a frown.

"It does look bad, but it wasn't your dad's fault," he bent down a little so he was eye level with Noah. "Did you fall down the stairs?"

"Ow," Noah replied and put his hand over his nose.

"I know, baby," Kate said, lightly kissing his hand.

The three of them only had to wait another five minutes. By the time they were situated in the town car, her dad was leaving the house. He waved to them before getting into his own vehicle. Noah found it amusing to see his grandpa in a different car than he was so, he constantly kept trying see if his grandpa was still there.

Within another fifteen minutes, most of it spent in the crowded traffic, they were parked in front of the morgue. Kate unbuckled Noah and got out of the car first. She set him on the sidewalk beside her.

"You wanna come?," she asked while looking in the backseat.

"Do I ever!" his reply was filled with excitement. He quickly got out of the car and ran over to them. The sidewalk was slippery so he ended up sliding which caused Noah to laugh. "Don't run," he said to him.

Simply being told not to do something, made Noah do it. He watched his mom grab his bag before running toward the building. As he tried to stop, he couldn't and eventually fell face first. Luckily, his hands broke most of his fall, but the impact on the sidewalk was not unheard.

"Oh no," Kate said as she quickly walked over to her crying son. She picked him up and headed inside where it was warmer.

Rick picked up the diaper bag that she dropped and peaked his head in the car. "We will be about 20-30 minutes. You should get a coffee or something," he said to his driver, Alfred. He patted the window door before rushing into the building doors.

His heart dropped when Noah's cries traveled into his ears. They weren't like the ones he has heard before and it honestly scared him. He set the diaper bag on the floor near the chair Kate was sitting in. She was too busy trying to calm him down to notice that he sat next to them.

"Did he hit his face?" he asked and got a nod in return. "Today is not a good day for him."

Kate continued to rock her son and hold his head under her chin. "It's okay. I'm right here."

"What the hell is goin' on?" Lanie said once she came from behind the swinging door.

"He slipped and fell outside. And not only did he do that, but he fell down the stairs at my dad's today," Kate answered above the cries that were not about to fade anytime soon.

"Sheesh. It sounds like he's being murdered and I do not want him on one of my tables, ever," Lanie replied and sat in one of the chairs beside her friend. "Oh man," she whispered when she saw his bruise that went up the right side of his nose and under his eye.

"I was wondering if you could take a look. Tell me if his nose is broke or anything," Kate said before kissing Noah's forehead.

"Sit him up a little more," Lanie said and leaned forward when Noah was more upright. She gently turned his head side to side, observing the bruises. Then, she gently placed her fingers on his small nose. "Does this hurt?" she asked once she put a little pressure on it.

Noah pushed her hand away and hid his face in his mom's shirt.

"I don't think it's broken. Did he hit it hard enough to make it bleed?" Lanie asked.

"My dad said he had a bloody nose, yes," Kate answered.

"Yeah, it's not broke, big guy," Lanie said to Noah before standing up. "_Richard Castle_," she said to the man sitting on the other side of her friend.

Rick's head quickly turned toward the voice. He smiled and stood up. "You must be Lanie," he said, shaking her hand.

"I am. What are you doing here exactly?" she asked.

"I'm taking Noah for the rest of the day since her dad was called into work," he answered without a pause.

"Hm… well it was nice to meet you. Kate, when you're done, I have something that could help your case," she said over her shoulder before going back through the door.

"Does she like me?" Rick asked nervously. Being disliked by one of Kate's friends was not something he wanted.

"That's Lanie's way of saying that I better explain when I go in there," she laughed at Rick's worried look. "She means no harm."

"Ah. Okay. Is he okay now?" Rick asked. "You _should_ probably be getting back to work…"

"Do you wanna go to Castle's house, buddy?" she asked Noah.

He lifted his head off her chest and looked over at Rick. "Yes," he answered with his small lisp more noticeable.

"Let's go, Chief," Rick held out his hand and watched Noah slide off his mom's lap. Once the boy's small hand was in his, he picked up the diaper bag. "Just call when you're on your way," he said before walking toward the door.

"Have fun you too," Kate replied and watched them leave. "Oh, and Rick, I had fun."

…..

By the time the boys got to the loft, it was nearing 1:30pm. Rick unlocked the door and carried Noah inside. He may have not known the little boy in his arms too long, but he could tell when he was tired. He decided to slide both of their boots off before walking into the living room. And it was a good idea because he was already tracking snow from his pants alone. As he set Noah on the couch, he quickly took off his snow gear and set them on the coffee table.

A smile made it's away across his face when he saw the toddler curled up against the arm of the couch. "Cold?" he asked and only got a sleepy stare. He decided to drape one of the soft blankets over his small body. "There. How about we watch a movie?"

"Bob," Noah replied with a sleepy smile while playing with the edge of the dark red blanket.

"Spongebob?" Rick questioned, full of confusion at his request.

"Yeah," Noah nodded.

"I think that one is in my office. I'll be right back," Rick said, ruffling Noah's curls before walking away.

It took him several minutes to finally locate the movie. When he walked back into the living room and noticed that Noah had already fallen asleep, he set the movie down. He studied the little boy's wounds and sighed. He remembered when Alexis first fell down the stairs. She didn't look this bad, but it was pretty close. That's why there has been a baby gate blocking the stairs ever since. And it doesn't matter if she can walk up and down them perfectly now, he will not remove it for another year or so.

"What to do…" he said to himself while looking around the room.

He ended up going into his office and writing. He didn't know what it was about Kate, but she made ideas come to mind so easily. It was too bad he couldn't have met her sooner. Maybe then he would already have another book written to get Gina off his back.

A little over an hour later, he was so entranced in his own writing that he didn't hear the small feet shuffling into his office. As he was finishing this paragraph, he caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye. It made him jump until he realized it was Noah.

"You scared me," he said, smiling to hide his fear.

"Where's Mommy?" Noah asked.

"She's still at work, remember?"

"Okay," Noah replied and attempted to see what was on the computer screen. "What doin'?"

"I'm writing a story," Rick answered while he saved the document.

"I like stories," Noah smiled up at him.

"I can tell you a story if you let me put ice on your nose."

"No."

"Why not?" Rick questioned as he stood up.

"Too cold."

"I'll wrap it in a towel," he started to leave the room, but realized Noah wasn't behind him. When he turned around, the toddler was looking at a few of his framed comics.

"Batman!" Noah shouted and pointed to the comic.

"You like Batman?" Rick asked with a smile. He didn't really know many little boys who liked Batman. Most seemed to preferred Spiderman.

"Yeah!"

"Here," Rick said as he opened up one of his drawers of the desk. He shifted through the comic books until he found a Batman one. "We can read this when we hold the ice on your nose, okay?"

Noah ran over to him and looked at the comic book. "I like Batman," he smiled.

Roughly forty-five minutes later, Alexis and Martha came into the loft. Alexis didn't care about the snow on her boots and decided to run into the living room. She swerved around the coffee table until she was in front of her dad.

"Look!" she waved a small plastic bag in front of him then stopped when she saw who else was here. "Noah!" she tilted her head to the side a little. "What's on his nose?"

"He fell down the stairs today," Rick answered her and leaned forward, taking the plastic bag from his daughter. "What did you get?"

"It's for Kate," she smiled as he pulled out a small box from the bag.

He opened the box to see a golden police badge with the words Coolest Cop Ever engraved in the middle. "She will love it," he kissed her forehead before putting it back into the box.

"It was 'spensive," Alexis nodded while eating the snow off her gloves.

"Ah. Mr. Noah is here," Martha said when she entered the living room. "Oh no. What happened?"

"He kicked some villains asses," Rick answered.

"Bad word!" Alexis yelled at him. "You owe me a quarter!"

"A quarter? You're giving this little angel a quarter every time you swear?" Martha asked while crossing her arms.

"Fine. You have been upgraded to a dollar," he said to Alexis, reaching into his back pocket for one.

Noah took the ice off his face and slid off the couch. He went on his tiptoes and touched the ball on Alexis' hat. His giggling made her look his way.

"What?" Alexis questioned his actions.

"He likes the ball on the top of your hat," Rick laughed when Noah's giggles turned into squeals.

Alexis pulled her hat off her head revealing her messy hair. As she handed Noah her hat, she saw his wide eyes.

"Monster!" Noah screamed and ran the opposite direction.

"I'm not a monster!" Alexis yelled at him before her dad slid her coat off.

"Your hair is sticking every which way," Rick laughed and tried to smooth it down.

Alexis crossed her arms when she saw Noah who was on his hands and knees peaking over the other end of the couch. He was too busy trying to push his hair away from his eyes to notice that she was sneakily walking toward him. When she reached the corner, she jumped in front of him.

"Boo!" she yelled.

"Monster!" Noah screamed and quickly got up. He ran around the back of the couch with the intention of getting to Rick. Once he was in front of him, he tried to climb up on his lap as fast as possible.

Alexis stayed hiding behind the couch. She had to hold her hand over her mouth while she giggled.

"Batman wouldn't run away," Rick said to Noah who was hiding behind him.

"Batman?"

"I dub the Little Batman," Rick patted his head.

"I'm Batman!" Noah screamed and stood up on the couch. He leaned over the back of it to find Alexis. "I'm Batman!"

"Who can I be, Daddy?" Alexis asked with a lot of excitement.

"You can be Catwoman," Rick answered.

"I'm Catwoman!" Alexis said up to Noah.

"You goin' to jails!" Noah screamed and attempted to climb over the back of the couch. He was about to get over when the top of his pants were grabbed.

"I don't think so," Rick said while yanking him back. "You have to go the safe way."

"I'm Batman," Noah said, ignoring him and trying to get over the couch again.

Rick decided to pick him up and set him on the floor. "Then go be Batman," he smiled and watched him run off.

Alexis ran from Noah, but then abruptly stopped, making him crash into her. The sound of the thump made Rick turn around to see Noah on his butt and Alexis standing.

"Did you push him?" he asked surprised.

"He ran into me," Alexis answered, taking Noah's hands to help him up. "Let's be a team. My daddy is the bad guy!"

Noah turned his head toward Rick and gave a small smirk. He looked back at Alexis and nodded. She pointed for him to go around the left side while she went around the right. They both ran at the same time and tried to tackle Rick who was standing now.

"I'm so glad I didn't have twins," Rick said to his mother who was laughing when the kids sat on his feet with their arms wrapped around his legs.

"Me too," she finally replied.

…..

Kate walked into the break room for her third cup of coffee. They finally caught the man who murdered his ex-girlfriend. Most cases didn't bother her unless there was a child involved and with this one, there was. The death of the mother was only the beginning for the ten year old girl.

She couldn't imagine if her dad was the one who killed her mom. If he did, she would be have been on her own at a very young age. Even though she basically was because of his alcohol problem he developed shortly after her death, it could have been as bad as this case.

As she was taking her first sip of the coffee, she noticed Esposito and Ryan coming out of the elevator with stern looks on their faces. Esposito was standing a little taller than normal and he looked about ready to get into a brawl. And small Ryan had his hands clenched into fists. This really grabbed her attention and she needed to know what was going on.

"Hey," she said as she walked back toward her desk. "Every thing alright?"

"Yeah," Ryan said, hinting that he didn't want to be questioned so, she left him alone.

"Javi?" she moved her eyes onto him.

"Just ran into some jackass outside. It's nothing," he answered, dropping all his weight into his chair.

She narrowed her eyes at them, but they didn't notice. Usually this would get them to tell her what she wanted to know and it irritated her that it didn't. Who would piss these guys off this much?

Eventually, she let the issue go to the back of her mind. She glanced down at her watch and decided she could work on some of the paper work before going to get Noah in a half hour. But maybe she should leave now. That way she could have more time to grab something to eat for the two of them. Even though she did have a feeling Rick was already cooking dinner for them.

Richard Castle.

He was probably the most amazing guy she has ever met. Well compared to her first love in high school, but she was foolish then. This was now and she did want to get serious with him, but she was afraid. Not only afraid of letting someone get to know the real Kate Beckett, but afraid to cross the line and get hurt again. If she _were_ to dive into a relationship with him it would risk Noah getting hurt as well.

She sighed and decided not to do the paperwork. Her son probably wanted to see her more than anything and she wanted to have some time with him before bed. She put her coat and gloves on before grabbing her purse.

"See you guys tomorrow," she said to the boys which got their full attention.

"Um… can you help me with something?" Ryan asked with a tone she has never heard before.

"Sure. What do you need?"

"How do you make your coffee? It's so strong and it actually keeps me awake," he asked.

Okay this was way too odd. They were both acting like they were hiding something and she didn't like it.

"What's your guys' deal?" she asked while crossing her arms.

"I'm tired. I don't know what his problem his," Ryan jabbed his thumb toward Esposito with a playful grin.

"Okay… I'll see you guys tomorrow," she said, turning on her heel to go to the elevator.

Once she hit the correct floor, she pulled her phone out. She quickly shot Rick a text to tell him that she was on her way. In return, she got a photo of her son and Alexis in costumes of Batman and Catwoman. She couldn't stop laughing at how cute they looked. That was until the elevator doors opened.

Only a few feet away stood the man that tore her heart into a million pieces two years ago. The man that thought it was okay to walk away from their child for a job in Boston. And the man who she would love to shoot between the eyes right about now.

William Sorenson.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Dun dun dun. Thoughts?<strong>_


	7. Chapter 7

Kate shook her head and pushed pass Sorenson. When she slightly bumped into him, she felt him almost fall, something she was used to. At least with the old Sorenson, he knew how to stand his ground. Knowing that he wasn't strong right now made her want to turn around and talk to him, but the anger that she's had since he walked out on her and Noah was far stronger.

"Go home, Sorenson," she said through gritted teeth.

"Kate, will you please just listen to what I have to say," Sorenson replied as he tried to catch up with her.

"You should have used that line two years ago," she replied, as she picked up her pace to make it harder for him to catch up.

"_Please_," he pleaded, slightly out of breath from running to meet up with her.

"I have to go pick up our son, or should I just say my son, seeing as you haven't even met him," she shot back.

She thought he finally gave up when she didn't hear him give a reply. She slowed down to take the time to slide her gloves on. Regret hit her faster than lightning when she looked up and saw Sorenson in front of her, out of breath.

"Seriously?" she rolled her eyes and easily walked past him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, making it hard for her to hear.

"What?" she questioned at a stop.

"I'm sorry," he repeated himself and walked up next to her. "I'm sorry I left. I'm sorry I never contacted you. Scratch that. I'm sorry I never tried to get your new number. I'm sorry I made no effort to get to know Noah. And most of all, I'm sorry I hurt you."

The sincerity in his voice made her want to hit him. It was not okay for him to just show up and beg for forgiveness. How could he do this? Show up at her work, follow her down the street, tell her that he's sorry and what? Expect for her to say 'it's okay, I understand'. No. That's not how it worked for her and he should know that.

"Go home, Sorenson," she said and continued to walk.

"Can I at least see him?" he asked with the sound of defeat in his voice.

She sharply turned on her heel and charged toward him. She poked his chest as hard as she could. "You go away for two years and now you want to _see _him?" she asked, her voice deep like when she interrogated suspects. "You expect me to just welcome you with arms wide open and allow you to _see_ your son?" when she didn't get an answer, she continued. "You know what you are? An asshole. You left your son to be the big, bad FBI agent in _Boston_. Ooh, how cool are you?"

"Kate…"

"No, you had two years to try to fix things. Two whole fucking years," she had to bite down on her tongue to stop herself from swearing anymore than normal. "And you didn't contact me once," she growled and jabbed his chest one last time before walking away.

As she sat down in a seat on the subway train, her conscience took it's toll. Maybe she was too harsh on him. Maybe she should have just listened to what he had to say. But giving him the ability to explain his actions two years ago would give him the upper hand on the argument. She was definitely not allowing that. Was it really a bad idea to let Noah get to know his dad? There was the possibility that he would just pick up and leave again, hurting Noah in the process. And out of all the times he chose to drop by, he chose the moment right when she met a man that lifted her off her feet. A man that was a serious candidate to being her boyfriend.

She leaned the back of her head against the train window, ignoring the bumps. There was no way she was going to let Noah get hurt. Not ever. Her eyes slowly closed as she drowned out the subway noises to lose herself in her thoughts.

Close to twenty minutes later, she was let into Rick's apartment building. She stood outside of his door for another five minutes, trying to manage a poker face. The possibility of Rick being able to read her was very high, but at least he never pried.

The first time she knocked there wasn't an answer. She realized that her gloves were still on and it was probably unnoticeable when there's two toddlers running around inside. When she knocked the second time, she heard several footsteps come to the door.

When the door opened, she was greeted with a smiling, cheerful Rick who lead her inside and closed the door behind them. Within seconds, Noah was barreling into her legs, wrapping his arms around them.

"Hey you," she ruffled his hair as he looked up at her with the biggest smile. In that moment, all her worries about Sorenson were gone. "What's on your face?" she asked, bending down to get a better view.

"We were just coloring the final parts of the cardboard spaceship I bought Alexis awhile back," Rick answered the question. "For the first ten minutes, he was more interested in coloring other things besides the actual ship. I actually have some on my arm," he laughed when he spotted the marker on himself.

"It's not permanent, right?" she asked before wetting her thumb to see if the orange will come off.

"Stop," Noah said while jerking his head back.

"Can I see the ship?" Kate asked.

Noah wrapped his hand around his mom's pinky and pulled her into the living room. As he pointed to the spaceship, Alexis stood up from a hole in the top. She had a space helmet on with a cape attached to her.

"We're gonna be the first kids on the moon," she said to Kate.

"Wow. Are you gonna plant a flag on it?" Kate replied, intrigued with the three year old's imagination.

"Yup," Alexis nodded and disappeared for second. She returned with a small pirate flag and held it up. "See?"

"That's so awesome," Kate smiled at her before turning toward Rick. "Where do you come up with these ideas?"

Rick shrugged his shoulders. "I search for things online and browse toy stores for things creative and adventurous," he answered. "But we should eat before it gets cold. Come on, Alexis. It's dinner time," he said to his daughter before walking over to the kitchen. "Oh, wait," he returned and stood in front of Kate. "Gun, please," he smiled until he saw Noah watching them. He acted like he was casually walking by Kate as she swiftly handed him her gun. "I'll be right back."

"Mm. Dinner smells good, doesn't it?" Kate said to her son.

"No hungry," Noah answered and walked over to the spaceship. He waited for Alexis to crawl out of the side door and just as he was about to crawl in, he was lifted up.

"Time to eat," Kate said and kissed the side of his face until he tried to push her away.

"We're eating pizza!" Alexis said when she was standing next to them. "We helped make it, but Daddy wouldn't let us put candy on it," she frowned.

"That probably wouldn't taste too good," Kate replied with a laugh. She hoisted Noah up on her hip before following Rick into the kitchen. "How many tries did it take to make this pizza?" she asked him while he pulled it out of the oven.

"Three. When we were about to put the first one in the oven, Noah put his hands throughout the entire thing. Alexis thought it looked like fun so she joined him. And with the second attempt, I accidentally spilled my drink all over it," Rick explained as he set the pizza on the counter. "But this became the final copy."

"Smells good," she replied.

"Pizza. Pizza. Pizza," Alexis chanted while hitting her hands on the chair.

"Peeta," Noah pointed to the pizza. "No want," he shook his head.

"You have to eat," Kate replied and brought him to the kitchen table. When he was secure in the booster seat, she helped Alexis into hers. "You're heavier than you look," she said to the toddler who just giggled. Once she double checked to make sure the kids weren't going to move the seats and tip over, she walked back into the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" Rick asked when he handed her two plates with cut up pizza on them.

"What?" she questioned, confused.

"You seemed a little distracted when you got here. Did something happen at work?"

"A story for another time," she replied and walked over to the table.

Once they were done with dinner they all sat down to watch a movie. By the time it ended, it was a quarter to 9pm. When Kate looked down to see what her son was doing she found him asleep on Alexis' shoulder while she peacefully slept against the arm of the couch.

"That's cute," she whispered to Rick who was turning the volume down.

"What?" he asked. When he set down the remote, he saw what she was talking about and quickly grabbed his phone to get a picture. "There," he said as he sent it to her.

"I should probably get going," she said, while slowly standing up.

"You never told me what was wrong earlier."

"It's nothing," she replied while gathering up her son's things.

"Nothing? You looked like you were about to shoot someone. Which reminds me I should grab your gun out of my office," he said while standing up to help her.

"His father showed up at the precinct today," responded, hoping he didn't hear her too well.

"Let me guess. He begged for forgiveness, but you wouldn't give it to him."

"Dead on," she replied and followed him into his office for her pistol.

"What did you say?" he asked while entering the safe code to the medium sized safe under his desk.

"That he couldn't see him," she answered, trying not to get angry because she didn't want to be mean to Rick.

"You know…" Rick started to say what he was thinking then decided against it. "Never mind."

"I'd like to hear what you think," she replied, sitting on the edge of his desk to listen.

"Don't get me wrong, he's a total jackass for leaving you two, but whenever Alexis does see her mom, she's so happy the entire time. Maybe Noah getting to know his dad wouldn't be so bad."

"And when he leaves again, hurting Noah in the process?"

"You do every thing in your power to make sure Noah is okay and that you hurt his dad twice as bad."

Her lips curved into a slight smile. "Thank you."

"Anytime," he smiled back, holding her gaze a lot longer than normal.

"I... should go," she whispered and took her gun from him before heading out of the office.

When she got to the couch, she set Noah's coat on the couch, gently lifted him up, and laid him on it. Once he was zipped up and had his hat on, she picked him up again, letting his head rest on her shoulder.

"Did you drive here?" Rick questioned while looking out the window for her car.

"I took the subway today," she answered while picking up her son's bag.

"You're not taking him on the subway this late," he replied and quickly took his phone out of his pocket. He shot a quick text to somebody and seconds after his phone started to ring. "Hey," he answered. "You don't mind? Okay. Alright. Thank you."

Kate narrowed her eyes at him. She didn't like not knowing what someone was up to, definitely Rick.

"Alfred's gonna drive you home," he smiled and started to lead her to the door. "What?" he asked when he noticed she wasn't behind him.

"Why are you always looking out for me?" she asked before walking to him.

"Because… I care about you and Noah. Besides, it's freezing outside and the next subway is a block or so away. I promise you're in good hands," he smiled before opening the door.

She simply shook her head and smiled. "Coffee tomorrow?"

"Yeah," he gave her his boyish grin that she secretly loved. "See you tomorrow."

…..

After being home for two hours, Kate decided to finally crawl into bed. The moment her head hit the pillow, she heard the floor creak near her door. She propped herself up on her elbows to see Noah clutching onto his _Toy Story_ alien plushie. He was too busy rubbing his eye to notice that he was being watched.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Kate asked once she was fully sitting.

He looked at the bottom of her bed then back up. It took him a few seconds to run over as fast as he could and try to climb onto the bed. She laughed and helped him up. Once he was on the bed, he instantly cuddled up to her side.

"You missed me, huh?" she asked while gently running her fingers through his hair.

She felt a small nod against her side and smiled. It was impossible to deny him from sleeping in her bed. And after the run in with Sorenson, she wanted him to be with her. Not because his dad might attempt to take him during the night. Sorenson was an idiot, but not that much of one. She just wanted to be able to hold him and protect him from whatever nightmare he just had. Definitely because she might not be able to protect him from his father much longer.

Everything Rick said was so true. The only one being hurt right now was Noah. He should be able to get to know his dad even if the possibility of him getting hurt was very high. It's better than not knowing him at all. Or is it?

She sighed and held her son closer. Sleep was going to be impossible to get with her mind trying to figure out what to do about Sorenson. And before she let herself slip into a deep slumber, she decided that Sorenson has only one chance.

It felt like she was only asleep for an hour when the loud banging on her door woke her up. She slowly sat up, sliding her son's arms off of her. Shockingly, he didn't wake up, but once she was about to walk out of her room, she heard his little voice.

"Down," Noah said, muffled from burying his face in the pillow.

"I'll be right back," she replied and walked out of her room.

She itched the side of her head before yawning. God, she was tired. She looked through the peephole and immediately woke up.

Sorenson.

Why was he here so early? Was it even early? She quickly checked her watch to find that it was 8:57am. Late for work and for her planned coffee with Rick. Great.

She unlocked the door and roughly pulled it open. "Yes?" she asked with a lot of anger quickly rising.

"Please, let me talk," he answered without giving eye contact.

"One minute. Go," she commanded and shifted her weight to one foot.

"Just let me see him. Please," he sounded like he was on the verge of tears and it was working on her.

"Come back later tonight. I'm already late for work. Okay?" when she got a small grin from him, her eyes narrowed.

"Sorry. I'll uh… come back at 7pm or is that too late? Because if he's getting ready for bed, I don't want to get him wound up."

"Swing by at 6:30pm. That way he's already fed and not tired yet," she hoped that Noah would be tired that way he could be grumpy with his dad for their first meet.

"I'll see you then," Sorenson nodded and walked away.

She closed her door and leaned her back against it. What has she gotten herself and her son into?

…..

I can't believe she stood me up, Rick thought as sat down on the couch next to Alexis. Or maybe she was already at work and forgot to tell him. He put his face in his hands just as his phone went off, alerting him that he had a new text message. Quickly, he picked it up and opened it.

_Slept in late. Alarm didn't go off. We can get a cup around lunch if you want._

That explains everything. He wanted to laugh at how he automatically assumed the worst. His next text contained the time for them to meet. He set his phone down and pulled his daughter onto his lap.

"Did you eat?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered and laid her head on his chest.

It was moments like these that he never wanted to end. Cuddling with his little girl was something that would never get old, at least until she was older. He quickly put that thought into the back of his mind because he didn't want her to get big yet. It was too much fun raising and teaching her new things.

"Wanna visit Kate later?" he asked and got a smile in return, but the sadness her own mother gave her was visible in her blue eyes.

"Can we go to the park?" she asked with an innocent voice.

"It's too cold for the park," he saw her pouty lip. "But we can go to your favorite toy store when you get dressed!" he tickled her until she screamed for help. He rested the back of his head on the couch, but started laughing when she started to tickle him in revenge. "I don't think so," he quickly stood up and picked her up over his shoulder. He stepped over the baby gate at the stairs and headed to her room.

"Put me down!" she giggled and kicked her feet.

"Captain, we hit some turbulence," he swung her around a few times in the hall. "Get the parachutes ready," he said while running into her room. He made crashing noises and gently plopped her onto the bed.

Alexis quickly got off her bed and picked up her light saber that was on the floor. "There's aliens here, comrades," she hit the floor and stayed prone. She waved her dad to get down and when he did, she began to squirm forward. "We gotta save the babies!"

"Backup. We need backup!" Rick yelled into his pretend walkie talkie. "Predator missiles incoming," he said in a different voice to indicate someone on the other side. "Get to cover!" he yelled to Alexis who crawled under her bed.

"Hurry!" she waved for him to come, but he could only get his lower half under the toddler bed. "Nooo!" she yelled and crawled out. She placed her hands on his chest. "Stay with me."

"Save… the… babies…" he whispered and closed his eyes.

She planted on a kiss on his cheek and stood up. Her eyes traveled over her room in great speed. When they landed on three of her dolls, she ran over to them.

"You're all safe now," she said in a deep voice. She picked them all up and ran back over to her bed. She climbed up, sat them against the wall, and slid back onto the floor. "You gotta come back with us. Nobody is left behind," she spoke to her dad and pulled his arm to get him sitting against her bed. When he was seated, she climbed back up on her bed and sat in front of her dolls. "Please fasten your seat belts," she said to her dolls. "We are ready for takeoff. Three. Two. One. Blastoff!" she screamed then started to giggle when her dad picked her up.

"Time to get dressed, Captain," he said and twirled her around before letting her down.

…..

Kate felt like she just got home with Noah when knocking came from the apartment door. She sighed and left her son in his room playing. When she opened the door she was surprised to see that Sorenson actually showed up.

"Come in," she said, rolling her eyes when he was in the apartment, out of her view.

"Still looks the same," Sorenson said, trying not to be too awkward.

"There was nothing I ever wanted to change about it," she replied and closed the door. "You can sit on the couch if you want. I'm gonna go peal him away from his toys," she said and walked toward her son's room.

When she walked into the toddler's room, she sighed because he was jumping on his bed with two toys in his hands. He was too busy making shooting noises to notice that he was being watched. She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. Maybe it was a bad idea to let him meet his dad. It was a little too late to back out now, but he was so happy. Hopefully that happiness won't disappear.

"No more monkeys jumping on the bed," she finally said.

Almost instantly, he stopped jumping and looked over at the door. He gave her a sly smile and got off his bed. If she wasn't leaning against the door frame, he would have knocked her over when he ran into her legs.

"How much sugar did you have at Grandpa's?" she asked when he looked up at her.

"Cupcakes," he smiled.

"Of course," she ruffled his hair and took his hand. "There's someone I want you to meet," she let him hold onto one of his toys while leading him toward the living room.

When they were in Sorenson's view, he stood up. He put his hand over his mouth before bending down. If she wasn't mistaken, there were tears in his eyes. And this definitely made it harder for her to be angry with him.

"Hi, Noah," Sorenson said with a big smile.

Kate had to nudge her son a little to get him to stand closer. She squatted down behind him for support. "This is your daddy," she said at a near whisper then closely watched for his reaction.

Noah's eyes narrowed like his mom's usually do toward something she doesn't approve of. He slowly tilted his head to the side and stared at the man in front of him. He didn't know him. He didn't understand what was going on. Maybe he was playful like Rick. So, he held out Woody to the man and watched him take it. When the man only looked over the toy without any playful voices or anything related to it coming forth, he ran back to his room to play.

"Noah," Kate yelled before she stood up.

"Did I do something wrong?" Sorenson asked, confused and also feeling defeated.

"Hold on," she looked at him before taking off after her son.

She found Noah in the middle of his floor, rolling cars around all the obstacles he put down. She sat down next to him and smiled when he did.

"What's wrong?" she asked before she rolled a car up his arm, causing him to giggle.

"No play," he answered and started to make noises that almost sounded like an actual car.

"But you're playing right now, silly."

"He don't," he responded and pointed at the man in the doorway. He smiled then continued playing with his cars.

Kate looked up to see Sorenson looking more sad than she has ever seen. The only time he looked like this was when he lost his partner during a tough case. She didn't know what to say to make him feel better.

"Do you want to go to Chuck E. Cheese with me, Noah?" he said before she could think of anything. "If it's alright with your mom."

Noah looked at the man then to his mom and back. "Yeah!" he shouted with a big smile.

"Is that alright with you, Kate?" Sorenson asked and smiled at his son who was spinning in circles.

Kate chewed on her bottom lip for a few moments. It's not like he's going to try and kidnap their son. It would jeopardize what he left her for, his job.

"As long as you have him home before 8:30pm," she finally answered and reached over to stop her son from spinning. "Relax," she said to him and got a smile in return. "Let's get you ready."

…..

The next two weeks went by pretty fast. Sorenson would pick up Noah for a couple hours every evening, trying to get to know his son. Kate would get visits from Rick and Alexis, sometimes before Noah left so the kids could play together. Rick would meet Kate in the morning for coffee, usually ending in almost kisses, but he could feel she wasn't ready yet. Not with the constant worry that Sorenson might hurt Noah.

Alexis was just about to move her piece on the Candy Land board when knocking came from Kate's apartment door.

Kate checked her watch to see that it was early for her son to be back. She was about ready to panic until she opened the door to reveal the pizza man.

"Oh. Right. How much again?" she asked, feeling foolish.

"Twenty-four even," the teenage boy answered.

"I got it," Rick said from behind her and handed the boy the money in exchange for the pizza and wings.

Just as she was about to close the door, she heard faint screaming coming from down the hall. She looked back at Rick who just shrugged. It might have been her cop or mom instincts that drove her to walk down the hall to see where it was coming from. When the elevator stopped on her floor, the screaming was louder. And when the doors slid open, she found out that her son was the source.

"What's wrong?" she asked Sorenson who rushed out of the elevator.

"I don't know. We were looking through a toy store so I could get an idea what to get him for Christmas when he just freaked out. I tried everything to calm him down, but nothing worked," Sorenson answered so fast that she only caught a few words.

"Come here," she said to her son and lifted him out of his dad's arms. She didn't know what to do when he tried to push her away, still screaming. So, she set him down on the floor and stood there in disbelief.

"See?" Sorenson whispered so only she could hear.

Noah stopped screaming long enough to run into the elevator before it closed. Luckily both of his parents were fast enough to use their arm to stop the doors from sliding shut.

"Hey," Kate said, squatting down in front of her son who was standing in the corner. He tried to hit her when she got closer. "Hey!" she said in a more stern voice, holding his hands still. He slowly slid down the elevator walls into a sitting position, his screams turning into cries. "Okay, okay," she said, pulling him into her arms and quickly going back to her apartment, Sorenson not too far behind.

"What happened?" Alexis asked when she found out the screaming came from Noah.

"I don't know, sweetheart," Kate answered and rushed toward her bedroom. "I'll be right back," she said to Sorenson and Rick.

She sat her crying son on the edge of her bed and quickly took his snow gear off. She bent down so she was eye level with him. "What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked, running her fingers through his damp curls she figured came from sweat. "You need to calm down," she said in a soothing tone before kissing his forehead.

Since he wasn't relaxing anytime soon, she decided to climb onto her bed and sit against the headboard. She pulled him onto her lap securely wrapping her arms around him. He fought to get free, but stopped when he knew it was useless.

"_Shh_," she whispered into his ear and rocked herself from side to side.

Around ten minutes later, light knocks came from the bedroom door. "Come in," she said.

Alexis' head peaked through a small crack. She smiled when she saw Kate and hesitantly walked in. She looked around the room in awe as she walked over to the side of the bed.

"Okay now?" she asked.

"I think so," Kate answered with a gentle smile then looked down at Noah. "Can you hand me the pacifier on the table right next to you?" she asked.

"This one?" Alexis held up the red and blue pacifier.

"That one," Kate took it from her. She gently pulled her son's fingers out of his mouth and replaced it with the pacifier. She ended up getting off her bed with Noah still in her arms. His head stayed on her shoulder. "Come on. Let's finish the game," she gently took Alexis' hand and walked out of her bedroom.

"There he is," Rick said, giving Noah a smile, but frowned when the toddler's eyes started to water. "Sorry," he mumbled and let Alexis sit in his lap on the floor.

"Everything okay?" Sorenson asked, looking only at his son.

"I think he's just tired," Kate answered even though she was unsure why he acted this way.

"I'm gonna go. I have to wake up early," he said and bent down so Noah could see him. "I'll see you tomorrow. Be good," he smiled and waved to Alexis.

Once he was gone, Kate sat down on the couch and rubbed her son's back. "Are you hungry?"

"No," he answered.

Alexis started doing a strange dance while sitting. "I gotta pee!" she yelled.

Rick laughed and helped her onto her feet. "Go down the hall where Kate's room was. You will find a the bathroom. Call me if you need help," he said to her and watched her run off. He turned around to look at Kate and Noah. "Is he okay?"

"I'm not sure. I mean he's okay now, but what the hell triggered this?"

"Maybe he's scared," he answered.

"Scared about what?" she asked.

"This whole Dad thing," he shrugged at her confused expression. "It's just a thought."

A thought that could possibly be true. If her son was scared because of his dad, how could she tell Sorenson that he couldn't take him every night? No. That couldn't be why he freaked out. He was always so happy after being out for a few hours. That couldn't be it, right?

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Thoughts? <strong>_

_**Since this college semester starts the 23rd, I plan to update every Saturday unless something tragic happens. Like dying from new Castle episodes.**_


	8. Chapter 8

Two long days have gone by and it was finally Friday. Kate was thankful that she had every weekend off and even more thankful that she could get some sleep. She hasn't gotten a good amount of ever since Noah's freakout. And since then, he has been waking up from nightmares every night, but that wasn't even the worst part. At least with the nightmares he was making some kind of noise because he also hasn't spoken a word in the past couple days.

She has been trying everything to get him to talk to her, but he would only look the other way, completely ignoring her. Even Rick attempted to get him to say something. Nothing worked and it was starting to make her worry.

Her elbows rested on the kitchen counter and she let her head rest in her hands. She didn't even hear her phone going off until it was too late. She quickly picked it up and looked under her missed calls. Rick. Since she designated the number four as his speed dial, she hit it and waited for him to pick up. On the third ring, he answered.

"Are you home?" he asked, sounding a little out of breath.

"Just got here. Are you guys on your way?" she questioned, slowly turning around to view her dirty kitchen. She really needed to find time to do the dishes.

"Yeah," he answered with his exhale. "I had to chase Noah down the street."

She rubbed the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. "Was there a reason?" she asked.

"There was a small dog on a leash. I'm assuming that's what he was chasing," he answered. "But we're almost there. Can we talk then? It's kind of tough maneuvering the streets of New York with two toddlers."

"Yeah. I'll see you guys soon," she replied and ended the call when he did.

A few minutes later and she was opening the apartment door. She squatted down to welcome her son with a hug.

"How are you, big guy?" she asked when he was in her arms. When she didn't get a reply, her eyes went up to Rick. "Anything?" she asked while helping Noah out of his snow gear.

"Nothing except the occasional grunt from getting mad and the crying," he answered then turned around to close the door.

Alexis pulled her hat off, revealing her hair full of static. Next came her gloves and coat. She had to have her dad help get her boots off since last time she fell. Once she was finished, she turned to Kate and smiled.

"His daddy's mean," she said before skipping into the living room.

Both Kate and Rick's mouth went agape at the toddler's statement. There was no possible way for her to know that information since Noah hasn't talked in a couple of days. And she never spent time with Sorenson so, where did that come from?

Kate let her son go into the living room to play with his toys. She walked over to Alexis who was busy looking for a book.

"How do you know that his daddy's mean?" she asked Alexis who turned toward her with a book in her hands.

"I don't know," Alexis smiled up at Kate, brushing her hair out of her face. "I like this book," she held up the children's story, _Where the Wild Things Are_. "Let the wild rumpus start!" she exclaimed and giggled shortly after.

"It's a good book," Rick said and patted a spot on the couch for her. "But how do you know that Noah's dad is mean to him?"

"He seems like a meanie," she shrugged and put the book on her dad's lap.

Kate chewed on her bottom lip trying to think of a scenario where Sorenson would hurt Noah, but none jumped to mind. The worst thing her son has done was flush things down the toilet. But her dad told her she did the same thing and that it was a phase. And then there was the possibility that Sorenson changed since he went to Boston and became more uptight. Now she felt guilty that she let her son spend time with his father without investigating him first.

She decided to sit down, Indian style, next to her little boy. She watched him stack blocks that went at least eight inches high. He made a few like this before crawling and grabbing his big red firetruck. From what she could see, there wasn't any marks on him suggesting abuse. She made a mental note to check over his body during his bath tonight. Why would he just stop talking all at once, though?

"Did they eat?" she asked Rick while still observing her son.

"Not dinner. Alexis wants that mac and cheese you made that one night," he answered and continued reading the story to his daughter.

"I can fix that up real quick," she replied, kissing Noah's forehead before getting up.

"Can I help?" Alexis asked, instantly sliding off her dad's lap to run into the kitchen.

"Of course, but you need to wash your hands first," Kate answered, turning the sink on so warm water would come out. She lifted Alexis up to wash her hands and let her sit on the counter when she was done. "This way you can reach," she smiled and got a shy one in return.

"Noah should come help," Alexis nodded and held the box of Velveeta that was just handed to her.

Kate looked over at her son who was standing directly in front of the TV. She rolled her eyes. "Rick, can you pull him back?"

"On it," Rick answered, standing up and walking over to Noah. When he pulled him back far enough, the screaming started. "I'm sorry!" he held up his hands in surrender.

After Kate turned the stove on with the pan of water on it, she walked over to her son and bent down in front of him. "That's enough, Noah," she said in a stern voice, but couldn't keep it up when she saw tears stream down his already red face. "Come here," she said, pulling him into her arms. "You can help with dinner," she said hoisting him onto her hip.

They were all hanging around in the kitchen waiting for the mac and cheese to be done when knocking came from the apartment door. Kate was busy stirring the macaroni with Noah still on her hip so, Rick decided to answer the door. When he opened it, he was greeted with an angry Sorenson.

"I can't believe you ignored my calls," Sorenson yelled, pushing past Rick to get into the apartment.

"I told you that you're not taking him this weekend, Will. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't yell near him either," Kate responded, putting her hand over her son's ear that wasn't on her shoulder.

"Why? So he can spend time with this guy?" Sorenson jabbed his thumb at Rick. "Come on, Noah. Let's go out to eat like I promised."

"Will, I said not this weekend and that means not this weekend. Plus, you have a big case to focus on," Kate replied, trying to keep her cool since there were two kids in the room.

"I just wanted to spend time with him and you can't keep him from me, Kate," Sorenson growled.

"I know how the law works, Will. If anything you'd get him every other weekend," she replied, watching Rick help Alexis stir the macaroni. "And we are supposed to get a storm tonight. I'd prefer if he stayed indoors."

"So you can mess with him?" he nodded his head toward Rick.

"Hey, that's enough," Rick interjected, setting his daughter down. "If she doesn't want you to see him, accept it and wait until Monday," he snarled then looked over at Noah who was on the verge of crying. "And if you haven't noticed, you upset him with all your yelling."

Sorenson walked over to Noah and bent down so he could be eye level. On the view of his dad, Noah started to cry even harder while gripping onto his mom in fear. Kate had to use most of her strength to keep him from falling out of her arms.

"I'll see you Monday," Sorenson said, completely ignoring that his son cried because of him. "Bye," he waved, before giving Rick a glare.

When the apartment door closed, Rick went over and locked it. "What an-" he looked at Alexis and stopped. "What a rude person," he said.

"Told you he's a meanie!" Alexis exclaimed and crossed her arms.

Kate smiled at Alexis while swaying with Noah in her arms. "What did he do to you?" she asked him, knowing she wouldn't get a reply. "Maybe I should have background checked him before letting him see Noah," she said to Rick who was draining the water from the macaroni.

"There's no reason you can't do that now," Rick smiled and got one in return. "And you have probable cause from seeing Noah cry like he did when he saw his dad."

"Very true," she replied, rubbing her son's back since he was more calm now.

"Mac and sneeze time!" Alexis clapped when her dad put the cheese on the macaroni.

"You're crazy," Kate laughed, and patted her head.

"Daddy is more crazy," Alexis nodded at her dad who stuck his tongue out at her creating giggles.

After dinner, a movie, and a few games, Kate decided to turn the news on to see how cold it was outside. The temperature read -5 degrees and the wind chill was even colder. She looked over at Rick who was about to fall asleep on the couch. She smiled and nudged him a bit.

"Do you guys just want to stay the night? It looks like a blizzard out there," she asked after glancing out the window.

"Yeah!" Alexis answered before her dad could even register the question.

"What?" Rick asked, sitting up more.

"Do you two want to stay the night?" Kate asked slower this time. "This couch can pull out into a bed," she said, patting the spot next to her and Noah.

"We don't have any clothes or anything," Rick answered while he rubbed his eyes to get rid of his sleepiness. "Wait. I think the bag of clothes I packed for our trip a few months ago is still in my car," he quickly stood up and practically ran to the door. He grabbed his coat off the rack and slipped his boots on. "I'll be right back," he smiled.

"I think your daddy really is crazy," Kate said to Alexis who giggled and nodded.

"He's funny!" she smiled and ran over to the window to look for her dad.

She watched him unlock the car and open the trunk. When she saw the two bags, her excitement got the best of her. She jumped up and down clapping with some squeals escaping from her mouth.

"Someone is excited," Kate said aloud.

"I never stayed at a friend's before," Alexis ran over and climbed on the couch. "Thank you," she hugged Kate's side really tight.

"You're welcome, sweetie," Kate's said with her arm lightly draped around her.

Alexis looked at Noah who was laying against his mom while playing with his hoodie string. "You should talk," she said with a smile. He turned his head toward her. "Then we can play cops and robbers with your toy guns!"

"You guys can play tomorrow. It's getting late and he needs to take a bath," Kate said and in return got a pout from Alexis. "You two can watch another movie before bed, okay?"

"Okay," Alexis replied and slid off the couch when the apartment door opened. She ran over and hugged her dad's leg. "You have snow everywhere!" she exclaimed and took some off his coat.

"It's really icy outside too," Rick responded while taking his boots off. "It was a good idea to stay the night here."

"Kate said we can watch a movie before we go to bed," Alexis said with a big smile. "But Noah has to take a bath first."

"You're lucky Grams gave you one this morning or you would have to take turns," he replied, picking her up and carrying her under his arm.

"_Ew_. I don't wanna take a bath with a_ boy!_" she screamed and kicked her feet.

"You're not going to," Kate said with a laugh. "I wouldn't make you unlike your father," she gave Rick a look before standing up and transferring Noah to her hip. "But he needs a bath to get all this paint out of his hair," she said while ruffling her son's hair.

"We will be out here," Rick responded when he sat down on the couch.

"Let's play horsey," Alexis squealed and attempted to climb on his back.

…..

Kate smiled when she heard Alexis' giggles from the bathroom. "She's a silly one isn't she?" she asked her son who was too busy looking at his toys float in the tub.

She set one of his towels by the tub and unzipped his hoodie before sliding it off. He hated when she took his shirts off him, but he didn't fuss this time around. She dropped it on his head and smiled when he pulled it off to reveal a small smirk.

"There's that handsome smile," she said while helping him out of his jeans. "No bruises or anything on you," she said while she pulled his socks off. "Thank god," she mumbled to herself.

Several minutes after she placed him in the tub, knocking came from the door. She quickly stood up and opened it to reveal a smiling Rick.

"Yes?" she asked with a smile.

"Did you find anything?" he asked with a hush tone.

"Nothing. I have absolutely no clue what happened when he was with his dad," she answered, looking over at her son to make sure he was okay. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Get one of those little spy cameras and put it on him next time," he smiled. "Or only allow supervised visits."

"What's Alexis up to?" she asked, trying to change the subject so she wouldn't get angry at Sorenson.

"She's playing with Noah's LeapPad. I _have_ to get her one of those," he laughed.

"He loves that thing. And you can come in while I wash his hair," she replied and walked back over to the tub.

"What's that?" he asked, kneeling down next to her.

"What's what?" she questioned him.

Rick leaned forward and pushed Noah's hair, at the base of his neck, back. He pointed to a medium sized bruise.

"Does this hurt, big guy?" he asked and gently touched the bruise, but quickly regretted it when tears filled Noah's eyes. He sat down on the floor to be more comfortable. "I think we found what happened."

…..

It has been two hours since Noah fell asleep and Kate was still pacing her bedroom trying to figure out what to do. If Sorenson laid a hand on her son, she would make sure he would rot in prison or better yet, a coffin. But maybe the bruise was from one of the times her son has fallen in the past week. He didn't have the best balance when he was running so, that was a high possibility. And she hoped that, that was all that happened. A small fall.

When she finally decided to climb into bed, she curled up in a ball against her headboard with her blankets over her. It was going to be impossible to fall asleep with the idea of her son being hit by his own father on her mind. She ran her hands through her hair and let her head rest against the headboard and let the tears, she has been holding back, fall. Since she was preoccupied with her inner thoughts, she didn't hear the knocks coming from her door.

"Kate?" Rick whispered, peaking his head into the room. His eyes traveled across the dim lit room and fell on her. If he wasn't mistaken, she was crying. "Kate, what's wrong?" he asked quickly making his way over to her.

"I didn't protect him," she said through her cries.

Rick sat down next to her and sat facing her. "You don't know that his dad did this," he said with a gentle tone.

"Why else would he wake up crying every night and randomly stop talking?" she sniffled and tried to calm herself down. Being vulnerable near people wasn't something she liked to do. "He's traumatized and I didn't protect him."

"You don't know that," he responded, gently pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"But I do. I know my son, Rick," she replied, her tears not stopping anytime soon.

Without thinking twice about it, he pulled her into his arms and held her close. He hoped that the feeling of his strong arms around her would make her feel better. He also chose not to say another word and just let her cry it all out. By the time he was sure she was done, his shirt was pretty wet from tears, but he didn't mind. All that mattered right now was that she was okay.

"I think I'm going to need to borrow one of your shirts," he said and smiled when she laughed a little. "I'm serious."

"I'm sure you would look lovely in pink or maybe even purple," she laughed into his chest, taking in his scent.

"Are you okay?" he asked, not quite ready to let her go.

She looked up at him and held his eye contact. Even in her dim room, his blue eyes were captivating. Her eyes slowly trailed down to his lips. This was the first time she has ever seen them this close. They looked warm and welcoming. Without her own consent, she was kissing him.

The kiss itself was warm and soft. She could feel him taking away her vulnerability and this made her arms wrap around his neck to pull him closer.

Sparks. That's all Rick could think about when their lips collided. That and their kiss held a lot of desperation from the both of them in it which quickly turned into passion. He didn't want to pull away, but he had to so he could catch his breath.

"Wow," he exhaled, still keeping her eyes locked with his. Her smile made him want to go for another one, but he could tell she was tired and he wanted her to get some rest. "I'm going to go lay down," he said.

"Will you stay with me?" she whispered and then trying to figure out if she said that out loud or not.

"Always," he responded with a gentle smile before laying down.

She scooted so her back was against him and smiled when his arms wrapped around her. He pulled her closer and held her there.

This was the first time in awhile that she has felt this safe. She didn't want to cross the line with him so soon in their relationship, but it was impossible not to. And before she could overanalyze everything that just happened and let Sorenson get back in her thoughts, she fell asleep a happy person.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I loved writing the ending, okay. Thoughts? :D<strong>_


	9. Chapter 9

The sun was shining directly through the blinds and onto Kate and Rick. She stretched, arching her back in the process until she realized she was still in bed with him. When she tried to open her eyes to check the time, the brightness of the light made her keep them closed. She ended up slowly turning toward Rick to see if he was still asleep. A small smile crept across her lips when her eyes fell on him. She gently traced his jawline, admiring every inch her finger went over. How a grown man could sleep so adorably was beyond her.

This time as she turned around, she used her hand as a visor to hide from the sun. When her eyes fell on her alarm clock, she bolted upright. It was almost 10:30am.

Crap, crap, crap, she whispered to herself. The moment all her weight was off the bed, Rick started to stir out of his slumber.

"Too early. Come back to bed," he mumbled, rubbing his face without opening his eyes afterward.

"It's 10:23am. There's no possible way the kids are still asleep," she said with a hint of panic in her voice.

It took him a few minutes to register what he just heard. When he realized that it wasn't a dream, he attempted to roll to his left, which only made him tangle himself in the blankets. He ended up falling off the edge of the bed and onto the floor when he tried to get up.

"Really?" Kate laughed harder than she had in awhile. "Only you," she shook her head and slipped on a pair of sweatpants over her shorts.

"I'm okay. Thanks for asking," he responded, getting himself onto his feet. He walked over to the bedroom door and put his ear against it. "Do you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?"

"The silence. They are up to something," he answered as he opened the door.

They both walked into the living room together. It was relief that Alexis was sitting in the middle of the pullout bed, watching cartoons. The moment she heard them walk into the room, she stood up and started bouncing up and down.

"You're up. You're up," she clapped.

"You should have woke us," Rick replied, climbing onto the bed and pulling her into his lap. "Are you hungry?"

"Kinda," she shrugged and gave her dad a big hug.

"Has Noah come out here yet?" Kate asked, scanning the room for her son.

"Nope," Alexis shook her head. She scooted to the edge of the bed and slid off to follow Kate.

When Kate pushed her son's bedroom door open to find that her son was nowhere in sight, she found herself to be lightheaded. She had to hold onto the frame of the door to steady herself.

"He's silly," Alexis said as she ran over to Noah's bed and knelt down. When she peaked under it was when Kate realized that his blankets were under there.

"What's going on?" Rick asked when he walked into the room to find Kate looking under her son's bed.

"He either fell asleep under here or did it in his sleep," Kate replied. "And he's still asleep."

"Pull him out!" Alexis nearly shouted, which made her get immediate shushes. "Sorry," she whispered this time.

"Here," Rick said when he was near. He tilted the toddler bed back so it would be easier access to get Noah.

Kate slid her arms under her son and his blankets. She carefully directed him out from under the bed. The moment she cradled him in her arms was when he started to wake up.

"You woke him up," Alexis whispered. "That's not very nice."

Rick laughed at what his daughter said and ruffled her already messy hair.

Noah rubbed his eyes before opening them. Upon the view of his mom, he gave her a sleepy smile before rubbing his eyes again.

"What were you doing under your bed, silly?" Kate asked, lifting him up so he could rest on her hip.

"Let's eat!" Alexis shouted before running out of the room. When she realized nobody was following her, she came back and stood in the doorway. "What?"

"You have so much energy," Rick answered with a smile. "What do you want to eat?" he asked before following his daughter into the kitchen.

"Do you wanna eat?" Kate asked her son who was looking over her shoulder and into the hall.

"Iss," he answered.

"What?" she asked because she thought she was hearing things.

"Follow Alesis," he answered with his chin on her shoulder.

"Oh my god," she replied, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. She fled out of the room and into the kitchen where Rick was pouring milk into a bowl for Alexis. "He spoke!" she said full of excitement.

"Yay," Alexis clapped with a spoon in one of her hands.

"What did he say?" Rick asked as he put the milk back in the fridge and the cereal bowl on the kitchen table.

"Follow Alexis, but he used the 's' sound instead of the 'x' one," Kate answered with a smile before kissing her son's forehead in happiness.

"How's it going, kiddo?" Rick asked Noah who hid his face in his mom's neck. "Being shy, are we?" he smiled before setting the bowl of cereal in front of his daughter.

Kate set Noah on the floor and walked over to one of the cupboards. She opened it to find that all the sippy cups were dirty. It would make sense that they were all in the sink because she hasn't washed dishes in a few days.

"I got it," Rick walked over to the sink and turned the water on so it would come out warm. He took one of the sippy cups from the dirty dishes and began washing it. "What?" he asked when he felt Kate's eyes on him.

"It's nothing," she smiled and looked down at her son to find that he was sitting by her feet while playing with a car he left out here yesterday. "Do you want something to eat?" she asked.

He shook his head really fast and crawled away with the car. His destination was Alexis' chair and when he got there, he rolled the car up the chair until he had to stand.

"Hi," Alexis said with a smile.

"What doing?" he asked as he looked up at her.

"See?" Kate nudged Rick in the side as he dried the sippy cup he just cleaned. "He's talking again," she gave him a big smile when he looked at her.

They held each other's stare until she bit down on her bottom lip, looking at the floor. Before she knew it, her chin was being slightly lifted and she was kissing him… again. This time the kiss was full of happiness and pure passion. If it wasn't for the kids being around, she was pretty sure it would have gotten heated.

"Eww!" Alexis shrieked as she pointed her spoon at them, making the cereal and milk fall off of it.

Alexis' reaction ended up making the both of them laugh and pull apart. Rick gave her a quick peck on the forehead before turning toward his daughter. When he saw Noah's expression, his eyes widened.

"Is that an upset look or an angry one?" he whispered to Kate.

Noah looked between his mom and Rick. Then he looked up at Alexis who was giggling with her last bite in her mouth. He decided to go get another car for her in his room so, he took off running.

"I think that was a "what the hell are you guys doing?" look," Kate finally answered Rick when she saw her son take off. "I should go change him though. I bet he's soaked."

"He still wears diapies?" Alexis asked, turning to watch Kate walk out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, he does," Kate answered.

"Why?" Alexis asked her dad.

"Because he's still little. You didn't start using the potty until a few months ago. You don't remember wearing diapers?" he asked with his eyebrow raised.

"I do, but I thought he was olderer," she answered with a smile. "All done!" she exclaimed.

"He's younger than you, Pumpkin," Rick replied while helping his daughter get out of the booster seat.

"Let's play hide and seek!" she shouted with a big smile and ran off to get Kate and Noah.

…..

Around 3:30pm was when Rick decided it was time to go home. At first he didn't want to because that meant being away from Kate, but Alexis needed her nap. If she would have calmed down like she normally did at home, he would have let her nap here. But since she just wanted to play with Noah and keep him up from his nap too, the only thing to do was go home.

It was a hassle trying to get his daughter into her coat and boots. She would not sit still and she was getting far too cranky. And this was the first time he has seen her like this so, he didn't know what to do.

"I don't wanna go!" she kicked her boot off when it was halfway on her foot.

"You can come back tomorrow, sweetie," Kate said in the most calm voice she could conjure on the spot.

"But I wanna stay now," Alexis responded as tears filled her blue eyes.

"Maybe we can meet out somewhere and have dinner together," Rick suggested, praying that she would agree.

"No!" she shouted and covered her ears.

Rick looked up and Kate with a nervous look. He never had to handle a situation like this. He was usually the witness of little kids having tantrums.

"What do I do?" he mouthed.

Amidst all the screaming Alexis was making, Noah came running over and slid to a stop in front of her. He squatted down so he was at her height. When he held out one of his favorite purple cars to her, she stopped screaming.

"Keep," he said with a big smile.

Alexis gently took the car from him and looked it over. It had two pink stripes that went down the hood and the number fifteen was on the car doors.

"Play next time," he said before he lost his balance and fell on his bottom.

She found that funny and started giggling. With her free hand, she rubbed her watery eyes until they were more clear. Her dad took this opportunity to slide on her boots since she was more calm and didn't get any objections.

"What do you say?" Rick asked Alexis.

"Thank you," she said to Noah.

"Weltome," he smiled.

"Welcome," Kate corrected him before she lifted him onto his feet. "Say bye."

"Bye," he waved his hand as fast as he could ,which caused Alexis to giggle again.

"Bye," she said back.

"I'll call you later," Rick said to Kate and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek so they wouldn't get ewe's like they did earlier.

Once they were out the door, Noah ran full force with his hands extended into it. When it clicked shut he turned toward his mom.

"Let's go lay-" she stopped when she saw him running from her. "You're too smart for me, but I'm quicker."

When she started to chase him around the living room, his giggling got the best of him. He lost his balance and fell down, but that didn't stop him from trying to crawl away.

"Gotcha," she said as she lifted him up and kissed his face numerous times. "We can watch a movie in my room. How does that sound?"

"No," he shook his head really fast, but she was already walking down the hall before he replied.

She walked into her room and set him on her bed. The second she turned around, she could hear him bouncing on it. She quickly turned toward him and he instantly sat down with a smirk.

"You need to relax," she said before turning the TV on.

"No want," he replied as he yawned.

She took the remote from her dresser and climbed onto the bed with him. As she pulled him toward the pillows, he started to kick his feet.

"No want. No want," he pleaded.

"Let's just watch-" she turned Nickelodeon on. "Spongebob."

He turned around so he could pick up one of the pillows. It was a lot heavier than it looked, but he got enough momentum to hit his mom with it. And after he did, the stunned look on her face made him laugh so hard that he fell onto her.

"You're so tired that you're delusional," she laughed from his adorable laughter. "Let's just relax."

"Deludinal," he repeated with a smile.

"I'm so glad you're talking again," she gently held his face and kissed him until he pulled away. "It's the cutest thing ever."

…..

"What are you doing?" Esposito asked Ryan when he sat down at his desk.

"A favor for Beckett," Ryan answered while he concentrated on his computer screen.

"What kind of favor?"

"Looking into Sorenson."

"Why?"

"Will you stop asking me questions?"

"I just want to know what's going on and why she asked you and not me," Esposito replied before he bit into his sub.

"She knows that I come in before you all the time."

"Did she say why she wants information on him?"

"…Yeah."

"Come on, bro. Tell me."

Ryan slowly turned his chair toward his partner. He did a quick debate in his mind on whether or not to tell him. Since he was sure that he'd go after Sorenson personally, like he wanted to, he opted out.

"She told me in confidence," he responded before he turned back toward his computer.

"What did he do to Noah?"

Ryan rested his forehead in one of his hands. Trying to get out of something with another detective wasn't easy. And if that detective was your partner, it was like trying to find your way out of a maze that only had dead ends.

"She thinks he may have hit him."

"What?" Esposito dropped his sub back on the plate.

"She thinks. I didn't say that she knew."

"Want some help looking through files?"

"Let's nail this bastard," Ryan said with a smile as they did their fist bump.

Two hours later, they still didn't find anything useful. They were about to give up until Ryan find out that Sorenson has been seeing a psychologist ever since he came back to New York.

"What do you think that is about?" Ryan asked as he pointed his finger at the computer screen.

Esposito picked up the phone next to him. "Let's find out."

"Dude, you can't just call the FBI and ask for information."

"Says who?"

"Says me," Montgomery said from behind them.

Both Ryan and Esposito slowly turned their chairs to face their Captain. Esposito put the phone on back on the receiver.

"What are you two up to?" Montgomery asked.

Ryan decided to tell the truth. "Looking up information on Sorenson for Beckett."

"Why?"

"Because she thinks he might have laid a hand on Noah," Esposito answered.

"Let me handle this and get back to your paperwork. When Beckett isn't here, you two get too far behind," Montgomery said before walking off. "I'll let you guys know what they say after I call."

When Montgomery was back in his office, Ryan faced his partner. "We have the best Captain."

"He's a dad like you. It makes sense that he cares about Noah. Plus, how is it possible not to?" Esposito asked with a smile.

"True."

"Unlike your Liam. He's a hyper child."

"Ha-ha."

…..

Later that evening, Kate was sitting on Rick's couch when her phone rang. It was Ryan's cell.

"I have to take this," she said to Rick before she walked to the bathroom for privacy. "Hey," she answered her phone.

"With the help of Esposito and Montgomery, we got some answers for you," Ryan said on the other line.

"Why are you talking so quietly?"

"Liam just passed out on the couch and Jenny is in the shower. But anyway, we found out that he's seeing a psychologist because the FBI told him to. We also spoke to the man above him and he thinks Sorenson was or is an alcoholic."

"A what?" Kate questioned.

"A-"

"I know what you said," she leaned her head against the bathroom door. Memories of her dad's worst days flashed through her mind.

"Beckett? … Kate? Hello?"

"Sorry. I'll have to talk to him on Monday," she whispered.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I have to go. I'll see you guys on Monday."

"Bye," he said with a confused voice.

She ended the call and shoved her phone in her pocket. She was so angry that she could find Sorenson right now and hurt him. But she knew it wasn't a good idea so, she went back out into the living room to find that her son was no where in sight.

"Where is he?" she asked Rick.

"He was right there," he pointed over by the TV where Alexis was.

They heard a rattling coming from the kitchen. Kate turned toward the noise to find that Noah was shaking the baby gate that blocked the stairs. When he figured out it wasn't working, he tried to climb over it.

"I don't think so," Kate lifted him up and carried him under her arm back over to the couch. "Why don't you go help Alexis with the puzzle?"

"No," Noah shook his head and slid off the couch. He ran over to Alexis and walked on the puzzle instead. "Roar!"

"Hey!" Alexis shouted at him. "You're messing it up!"

Rick pulled Noah back and started to laugh when he was being growled at. "Maybe those lollipops were a bad idea."

"Lolli!" Noah leaned his head back so he could see Rick, which ended up making him fall back into him. "Lolli."

"No more lollipops. You have to eat dinner soon," Kate replied before she sat on the floor by everyone.

Noah got off Rick and squatted down in front of Alexis. He held onto his knees as he tilted his head to look up at her.

"What doing?" he asked with a smile.

"Fixing your mess!" she yelled at him, causing him to jump.

"Don't yell, Alexis," Rick scolded.

"But he messed it up," she whined, trying to put the large puzzle pieces back together.

"Why don't you help her, buddy?" Kate asked her son who smiled and basically jumped onto his mom's lap. "Jesus. This is why I don't give you sugar regularly."

…..

That Monday after work, Kate picked up Noah from her dad's. She wanted to tell him about what her team found out about Sorenson, but she wanted to make sure it was true first. Having her dad go after her son's father was the last thing she ever wanted to happen.

When they were on their way up to her apartment, she got a text from Sorenson. She told him to come to her apartment so they can talk. She neglected to put serious in front of the word talk because he usually ran away from anything serious in his life. The only thing he did seriously was his job.

Before he got here, she made sure Noah was fed and changed so she wouldn't have to walk away from their conversation when it started. A good half hour later, there was knocking at the door.

"It's open," Kate yelled from the living room. She was busy trying to open the car case that Noah dragged out from his closet.

Sorenson hesitantly came into the apartment. The moment he saw his son, he smiled. But when Noah saw who walked into the door, he hid behind his mom and clung onto her shirt.

"Hey," Sorenson said without specifically directing it to anyone.

"Hey. I'm going to put him in his room so we can talk," Kate replied as she tried to unclench her son's hands off of her shirt. She picked him and the case filled with cars up. After she set him down in his room, she kissed his forehead and bent down in front of him. "I need to ask you a serious question."

"Otay," Noah said as he took a few cars out of the case.

"Who gave you this bruise?" she gently touched the back of his head near the base of his neck.

He shook his head and started to roll his cars across the floor. "Brmmm."

She decided it was best not to keep asking him and go talk to Sorenson. She ran her fingers through his hair before walking into the hall. When she walked into the living room, Sorenson was sitting on the couch with his hands folded in his lap. She sat down and faced him.

"What's going on with you?" she asked while she looked him in the eyes.

He itched the back of his head. "Nothing much."

"Be straight with me, Will. I can tell when something's up with you," when she didn't get a reply, she continued. "For example, the other night when you came bursting in here furious. That's not like you. You're usually a very calm, together guy."

"I had a bad day," he mumbled.

"Were you like that around Noah last week?"

"I don't remember."

She squinted her eyes at him and realized that he was sweating a little. His hands were also shaking as he tightly held them together. She remembered her dad's hands trembling whenever he was sober.

"Have you been drinking?" she questioned with anger in her voice.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

His sharp inhale made her get anxious for an explanation. She didn't want this to seem like an interrogation, but how else was she going to get anything out of him?

"Tell me what happened when you left for Boston," she said.

"I… uh… starting drinking," he whispered loud enough for her to hear.

She nodded her head while biting down on her lip and let him continue.

"I felt bad for leaving you guys and I started to hang around bars after a long day at work. At first it was only a casual drink of beer, but then I started to feel worse and drank liquor. Then after one case that involved a little boy that made me think of Noah… I had to come back," he looked off in the distance, trying to think of what else to say.

"When's the last time you drank?"

"The day before I came to the precinct."

"So… you quit cold turkey?"

"I guess you can say that."

"And you persuaded me to let Noah spend time with you without telling me any of this," she clenched her hands into fists so she wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Your dad was an alcoholic, Kate. I couldn't tell you without conjuring up those memories. I remember how he treated you and how hurt you were."

"Quitting cold turkey and then taking a toddler for a day was the dumbest idea you have ever had. You were probably extremely irritable," she growled. "Did you hit him?"

He looked down at his hands. "I have to go," he mumbled and stood up.

"Did you hit him?" she yelled this time.

"I'm sorry, Kate. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize what I did until he was crying," he answered as tears filled his eyes.

"Get out of my house!" she yelled as she stood up and pointed to the door. "Get out!"

"I'm so sorry," he said as he backed up toward the door.

When he fumbled with the door handle and finally got it open, she pushed him into the hall. "Don't you ever come back here!"

"Kate-"

"You hit a defenseless little boy who is also your son. If you think I will let you see him again, you're out of your damn mind!"

"I'll just go to court to get visitation rights."

"You do that. See how often you get to see him without supervision."

They were too busy yelling at each other to notice that Rick was standing in the hall. He stood there frozen with fear because he has never seen Kate like this before. But when his eyes fell on Noah who was standing in the doorway, tears streaming down his cheeks, he walked behind Kate to pick him up.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Sorenson asked as anger rose in him faster than normal.

"Don't even pull him into this," Kate answered, backing him into the hall wall.

"Come on," Rick said to Noah and carried him to his room to get away from the yelling match.

"He's not Noah's father, I am!" Sorenson yelled.

"But he's a big part of his life. And if you don't mind, I'd like to go make sure our son is okay," Kate said and turned back toward her apartment. When she was about to close the door, she gave him one more look. "I can't believe you would hit him. That was a lot nerve you had to hit my son," she growled before she slammed the door shut and locked it.

She ran her hands over her face then shook them to try and get the anger out of her before she confronted Rick. As she drew closer to her son's room, the wailing got louder and made her feel incredibly guilty. When she opened the door, she saw Rick was was holding and rubbing Noah's back while swaying in a tight circle. Once he was facing her, she gave him a sad frown.

"You scared him more than you scared me," he said. "Have you ever yelled like that near him?"

"No," she whispered and bit down on her lip. She walked over to him and kissed Noah's head. "I'm so sorry," she said with her lips against him.

When he leaned toward her with his arms up, it made her feel better that he wanted her even after she scared him. She took him from Rick and held him really close.

"So… he did hit him?" Rick asked.

"And he has also been drinking," she answered while she rubbed her son's back.

"That asshole!" Rick's hands were balled up in tight fists.

She placed the hand she was using to rub Noah's back on one of them. "I'm going to make sure he never sees him for a long time."

His hands relaxed. "Sorry. I don't like hearing that someone hit a kid."

"Don't be. I'm glad that you would be willing to protect him like you basically did when you brought him back inside," she smiled and kissed his cheek. "Where's Alexis?"

"She's at her friend Paige's house. I thought I'd come visit until I had to pick her up. And I'm glad I did."

They smiled at each other for what seemed like five minutes. They both cared for each other's kid as much as they cared for their own. Not like it was possible not to since they were two of the cutest toddlers ever.

"Kate?"

"Yeah?" she answered while looking at her son's calendar to see that Christmas was in five days.

"Am I your boyfriend?"

She slowly turned toward him while she bit down on her bottom lip, thinking. The corners of her mouth slowly went up a little.

"I mean I need to know because Alexis asked," he quickly added.

"Sure. Blame your daughter," she teased.

"Well?"

"Yeah, I'd like to consider you my boyfriend," she smiled before he leaned forward and kissed her.

At this time Noah lifted his head off her shoulder and looked at them confused. "What doing?" he asked while he rubbed his eyes. This caused the both of them to bust out in laughter at his innocent question

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I thought this was a cute ending after the yelling match. Thoughts? :<strong>_


	10. Chapter 10

Since Kate's dad couldn't babysit for the next few days, Rick offered to watch Noah while she was at work. He thought it would be easy like all the other times he watched him, but he was wrong. Giving the kids cookies and a juice with a high amount of sugar in it didn't help. Even though Alexis wasn't being too bad, he was constantly running around his loft to keep an eye on them.

It has been two hours since they consumed the sugary foods and it didn't look like they were going to be completely drained anytime soon. Rick decided to plop down on the couch because he was out of breath from running room to room. He was so happy that he didn't have twins, one was enough.

"Pull!" Noah yelled from the distance.

"You're too heavy!" Alexis yelled back. "Give me both hands."

"What are you guys up to?" Rick questioned loudly so they could hear.

Several seconds passed and he didn't get a reply, so he decided to investigate. Upon walking into his bedroom, his eyes fell on the kids. Alexis was on her knees while trying to pull Noah onto the bed. Once she saw her dad walk into the room, she let go of Noah's hands, causing him to fall on his bottom.

"What are you two doing?" Rick asked as he watched Noah try to get onto the bed again.

"Playing," Alexis answered innocently. "But I can't get him up."

"How did you get up?"

"I used the table," she pointed to the side table. "I put my foot on the shelf thingy and used the blankets to pull myself up. Noah's too short though!"

"Here," Rick lifted Noah onto the bed and laughed when he started to hop around.

He sat down on the corner of the bed and watched as his daughter started to jump around too. After about five minutes, Alexis laid on her stomach and put her chin on her hand to watch. Noah continued to jump and kept trying to go higher. Rick took this time to take out his phone and take a photo of the two of them. He sent it to Kate, but quickly regretted it because he remember that she told him not to let Noah jump on the bed. It also didn't help that she would be here around 1:30pm and it was 1:20pm.

"Let's get down," he said as he tried to snatch Noah. "I left the door unlocked for your mom and she will be here any minute."

"No!" Noah giggled as he ran around in a tight circle.

He kept trying to catch the giggling toddler, until he heard the door in the other room slam shut.

"Crap," he mumbled to himself before he attempted to grab Noah again. "Why did I buy such a big bed? I can't reach-" he stopped short when he heard the heels in his office.

Panic quickly rose in him so, he threw himself on the bed and pulled Noah down so he was sitting. Alexis crawled onto her dad's back and sat on him.

"What did I tell you about letting him jump on the bed?" Kate asked as she walked into his room.

"Mommy!" Noah shouted with glee as he stood up. Once he was on his feet, he started to hop toward the edge of the bed where she was standing.

"Hey, baby. What did I say about jumping on the bed?"

Noah shrugged and tried to go the opposite way, but was stopped by his mom's arm.

"Remember what happened yesterday?"

"Yes," he nodded and touched the back of his head to show that he remembered falling off her bed.

"No more jumping, got it?"

"Okay!" he exclaimed as he jumped forward and turned around. He smiled and jumped into her making her take a few steps back.

"He fell off the bed?" Alexis asked as she patted her dad's head.

"Yes, he did. So, he's not allowed to jump on the bed," Kate answered as she set her son on the ground. Once his feet touched the floor, he instantly ran out of the room. "What did you feed him?" she asked Rick with her arms crossed.

"Just a couple of cookies," Rick answered with a slight shrug.

"A couple? You call that-" she pointed out of his room. "-a couple?"

"We had a big Minnie Mouse plate of cookies and chocolate chips," Alexis nodded as she got off her dad's back. "It was this big," she held her hands apart to show the width of the plate.

"Who ate most of the cookies?" Kate asked her with a smile.

"Noah."

"Thank you, sweetie," Kate smoothed Alexis' hair down before she shot Rick an angry look. She spun on her heel and walked out of the room. "Noah, come here."

"Why'd you tell on me?" Rick asked Alexis in a whisper.

"I didn't do that," Alexis shook her head. "You're in trouble though," she smiled at her dad before she slid off the bed. She walked out of the room and stood by Kate as Noah came running into the office.

"Fly out the window!" he exclaimed as he held up a green cape.

"I don't think so," Kate replied before tying the cape around him.

"Gotta shoot the bad guys," he nodded really fast.

"He's silly," Alexis added in with a smile.

Kate gently placed her hands on the side of her son's head to keep it still. She squatted down in front of him and placed her forehead against his. "You need to calm down, mister."

"Mitter mitter mitter," Noah repeated over and over.

"Can I put bows in his hair?" Alexis asked as she leaned against the desk.

"If he stays still long enough for you," Kate answered before ruffling her son's hair.

"Noah, let's play dress up," Alexis exclaimed as she quickly grabbed his hand.

"How play?" he asked while being lead out of the room.

"Hey, I'm sorry that I let him jump on the bed," Rick said from his bedroom door.

"I'm used to you not listening," Kate replied as she turned toward him. "And it's really hard to not let him do anything fun."

"You're still mad."

"I'm more mad at the fact that Sorenson ordered me to court before I could. I was going to wait until after Christmas. The nerve he has..."

"What's he asking for?"

"Joint custody," she rolled her eyes. "And I'm going to make sure he doesn't get it."

"Does Noah still have the bruise?"

"It's a little faded. Why?"

"Take a picture of it and bring it to the court's attention. I doubt he will get any kind of custody if they find out he hit him. And I would mention his drinking. No two year old child should be with an alcoholic."

"You're smart," she placed her hand on his cheek. "Thank you," she smiled at him and got one in return. She slowly raised her eyebrow. "What's this?" her finger went over a green mark on his forehead.

"We were painting earlier. I must have missed it when I washed up."

"I see."

They were just about to exchange a kiss until a loud, rattled noise came from the other room.

"You're not supposed to go up there without my daddy," Alexis yelled as she tried to pull Noah off the first step.

"What's going-" Rick stopped himself short when his eyes fell on the stairs. "How'd you get the gate down?"

Alexis let go of Noah's arm and turned toward her dad. "He's a monkey."

Noah took this chance to crawl over the gate and up the stairs as fast as he could. Once he got a little past the halfway point, he looked back to see his mom moving the gate away from the stairs.

"Run, Noah, run," Alexis shouted because she thought this felt like an exciting game.

Rick quickly put his hand over his daughter's mouth. "Shh. Don't encourage him."

Kate walked up the stairs, past her son, and sat down so she was blocking his path. "Dead end."

Noah looked to his side and grabbed onto one of the railing bars with both of his hands. He lifted himself onto his feet and smiled at his mom.

"Don't you even dare," she said just as he turned around to walk back down the stairs. He was trying to figure out how to get down until he attempted to put one of his feet on the next stair. His balance was thrown off since his other foot was still on the other stair and he started to fall forward. Luckily, his mom grabbed onto him in time. "Jesus Christ," she whispered and set him on his feet next to her. "Let's walk down together," she stood up and held onto his hand. They walked down the remaining stairs and when they got to the small platform, Noah tried to go back up.

"Someone is not going to give up," Rick said with a smile. "Reminds me of this little one," he placed his hands on his daughter's small shoulders.

"Is it normal for him to be this infatuated with stairs?" Kate asked as she let her son walk up a few steps with his hand in hers.

"Of course. One of my earliest memories was of me falling down the stairs… or maybe that was Alexis. I'm not sure, but I would spend a long time on them with her. She wanted to conquer them. Right?"

"Right!" Alexis answered with a smile.

"Fly," Noah said when he was on the fifth step, facing his mom.

"What?" Kate asked because she didn't hear him.

"Fly!" he said as he jumped toward her.

Once she caught him, she carried him down the stairs and set him on the floor. "You're going to get hurt and I don't want any marks on your face for Christmas, okay?"

"Tistmas," he smiled up at her.

"Let's be a good little boy or Santa won't come see you."

Noah's eyes went really wide at his mom's last statement. "Okay," he whispered and ran into the living room.

Alexis followed him. "You sit here," she guided him to a spot on the rug. Once she picked up her small box of hair things, she sat down behind him. "Now stay still."

"This is gonna be funny," Rick said to Kate who laughed when she saw what Alexis was doing. "So… how's work so far?"

"Pretty good. No dead bodies or anything. Do you have anything I could eat for lunch?" she asked.

"What would you like?"

"Just a turkey sandwich would do."

As they were both sitting and talking at the kitchen table, Alexis came over. She was holding Noah's hand and smiling. "He's pretty," she said.

Kate looked down to see her son with a bunch of pink and purple clips covering his head. She almost choked on her food when she saw the scared look on his face.

"Aw, sweetie. It's okay," she said once she swallowed her bite. "They can come out," she smiled.

"Lookin' good there, kiddo," Rick added in.

Noah laid his head on his mom's lap. "Out please."

"Let me finish eating and I'll help Alexis take them out," she replied.

By the time Kate finished eating and taking the hair clips out of Noah's hair, she had enough time to relax before heading back to work. All four of them gathered on the couch to watch a movie. It was her idea to start a movie since the kids haven't taken their nap yet. And usually one would put them to sleep.

She looked down at her watch to find that she had twenty minutes to get back to work. She lightly nudged Rick with her elbow which caused him to jump.

"Is he awake?" she asked since Noah was sitting on her lap and it was hard to see his face.

Rick leaned forward. "Nope," he said with a smile. "Seems like he finally crashed."

"Where have you been laying him down?"

"On my bed because if he wakes up, I can hear him. And the last time I laid him on the couch, he fell off. So, I'd much rather avoid that."

"Alright."

Kate slowly adjusted Noah so his head was in the crest of her arm. She got him into a cradle position before she stood up and walked toward Rick's bedroom. As she laid her son in the middle of the bed, Rick came up from behind her with his blanket.

"Forgot something," he whispered and handed it to her.

She lightly draped it over her son's body before she leaned in to kiss his face. "I'll see you later. I love you," she whispered. Once she was in Rick's office she turned toward him. "Did you put Alexis in her bed?"

"She usually takes her naps on the couch," he shrugged.

"Easier to hear her," she smiled at him. "I should go so I'm not late."

He took hold of her hands and leaned in for a kiss. They both smiled with their lips still against each other's.

"This will never get old," he said.

"Stop trying to distract me. I have to go," she replied and gave him another quick kiss before walking out of the office.

…..

Kate walked into the bullpen and over to her desk. She set down her fresh coffee and took off her coat. Once her gloves were off, she turned toward Ryan.

"What?" she asked.

"Are you guys still coming over for Christmas dinner?" he asked before taking a sip of his hot tea.

"I still plan on it," she answered as she sat down in her chair.

"Espo thinks he needs to bring a date because I told him you might bring your boyfriend," he smiled because he said the word boyfriend like a middle schooler would.

"Oh grow up," she rolled her eyes and opened up the folder on her desk. "This wasn't here when I left."

"I got a new one on my desk too. Captain must have given us more work when we were gone. He can't come to dinner because he's going to his mother-in-law's."

"Did you tell him good luck?"

"Yeah," he laughed. "Wait. _Are_ you bringing your boyfriend?"

"I forgot to ask…"

"Christmas is in three days! You better ask now or at least later when you pick Noah up. What if he has other plans?"

"As far as I know, he's staying in with his mother and Alexis. And getting ready for Christmas is stressful."

"They can come too. The more the merrier."

"You're house isn't _that_ big though."

"So? The dining room can fit a lot of us and so can the living room."

"Who's coming so far?"

"You, Noah, Espo, Lanie, and that's it. Jenny's friends are going out to dinner with her after Christmas."

"No family?" she rose her eyebrow.

"We see the family earlier in the day. We end up going to their houses, but Jenny likes being able to have the night with friends. It's more fun."

"Well, I'll ask Rick later. Until then we should probably get to work. Wait. Where's Javi?"

"He went to get lunch about twenty minutes ago. I have no clue why he left way after us."

"Do you think him and Lanie are… you know?"

"I was thinking the same thing!" Ryan sat up straighter in his chair. "Should we ask?"

"Let them play it out. I wanna see how long they think they can hide it from us," Kate smiled before taking a sip of her coffee.

"And see who gives it away first. My bet's on Lanie."

"Yeah. Right. I bet Javi is the first to crack."

"Twenty bucks?"

"You're on."

…..

It was nearing 6:30pm when the kids started to run around the living room. They said that they were playing tag, but it just looked like running to Rick. He sat down on the couch to watch them. Within the five seconds he used to turn the TV on, he heard a thud which was followed by screaming. He dropped the remote on the floor the moment he saw Noah laying on his stomach near the coffee table.

"He hit his head! He hit his head!" Alexis frantically said while she pointed at Noah. She bent down by him to check it out. "HE'S BLEEDING."

Rick practically flung himself on the floor by the kids. He quickly stood Noah up and pushed back his curls to reveal the cut.

"It's not that bad," he lied with a squeak because it was the most blood he has seen on a little kid. He stood up and lifted Noah into his arms. He ran over to the kitchen and sat him on the countertop. "Where is it?" he said as he went through a cupboard. "Found it," he turned back to Noah with a first aid kit. He took out a small bottle of peroxide, a cotton ball, and a few bandaids.

"He's loud," Alexis said with her hands over her ears.

"This might sting a bit," Rick said before pushing Noah's hair back. He set the cotton ball soaked with peroxide over the cut and lightly wiped it.

"No," Noah said through his cries and tried to swat Rick's hand away.

Alexis looked up at her dad then at the door. "Daddy," she tugged on his shirt.

"Hold on," he replied as he tore open a band aid.

Alexis decided to run over to the door. She had to go on her tiptoes to unlock it and open it. When she did, she was greeted with Kate.

"Hi!" she said with a smile.

"What's going on?" Kate quickly came into the loft and took her shoes, coat, and gloves off.

"Noah fell into the table," Alexis answered and followed her into the kitchen.

"Oh sweetie," Kate said when she saw her crying son on the counter. She lifted him up after Rick placed the band aid on him. "You're okay," she whispered into his ear when he placed his head on her shoulder. "Mommy's got you," she rubbed his back and faced Rick. "What happened?"

"They were playing tag, so I sat down on the couch to watch them. The second I picked up the remote to turn the TV on, I heard a thud followed by screaming. When I looked down, he was laying on the floor by the coffee table," he answered as he ran a washcloth under warm water.

"I tell him not to get hurt today so there's no marks on him for Christmas and he ends up doing it anyway," she shook her head.

"He tripped over his foot," Alexis said. "And went like this," she imitated how Noah fell.

Kate smiled down at Alexis before looking at Rick. "Ever since he started to run, he trips over his feet all the time."

"Alexis was like that for awhile. And I'm glad you came when you did. I'm not good with hurt kids because it scares me."

"You think it doesn't scare me when he gets hurt?" Kate rose her eyebrow at him.

"I panic. You stay calm. It's different."

"Mm. I guess so."

"Let me wipe off the blood that dripped down his forehead," Rick said as he gently wiped Noah's face before he turned it toward his mom's neck.

"Did they eat?"

"We ate pizza!" Alexis exclaimed.

"Was it good?" Kate asked her with a gentle smile.

"Yeah! It was really cheesy."

"Speaking of dinner, what are you doing for Christmas?" Rick asked as he put away the first aid kit.

"In the morning, we open presents at home then we go to my dad's until about 2pm. For dinner, we got to Detective Ryan's house. You guys are welcome to come this year."

"Wanna go eat Christmas dinner at Kate's friend's house?" Rick asked his daughter.

"Sure," Alexis shrugged. "Will there be cake?"

"I'm not sure about cake, sweetie," Kate answered with a slight laugh. "But there will be stuff for your sweet tooth."

"Okay!" Alexis cheered and ran off into the other room.

"Sounds like a plan then," Rick said.

…..

Christmas morning felt like it came really fast to Kate. They decorated the tree a few days ago and now there were presents under it. She slid out of bed and grabbed one of her soft blankets off the floor. She'd much rather be wrapped in a blanket on the floor with her son than in a robe. Besides, she was only cold right when she woke up. So why hassle with a robe when she could just toss the blanket to the side?

She slowly pushed her son's door open. When she peaked her head in, she found that he was still fast asleep. She checked her watch to see what time it was. Only 8:03am. They had plenty of time before they had to go to her dad's. And she could go for a cup of coffee right about now. As the coffee poured into her favorite mug, she heard little feet shuffling across the floor.

"Merry Christmas," she said when she turned around to see her sleepy boy.

"Tistmas," he replied as he put his arms up to be held.

She lifted him onto her hip and kissed his forehead. "Let's see what Santa brought you this year."

"Santa came?"

"He brought you lots of presents," she said as she carried him into the living room.

Upon seeing the lit up Christmas tree, his eyes went extremely wide when he saw all the various sized boxes. After he took all of it he, he got squirmy until he was set down.

"Mine?" he squatted in front of a few presents.

"All yours," she replied before sitting down on the floor next to him. "But let's look through this first," she picked up his stocking and set it in front of him.

He sat down in front of his stocking and turned it upside down so everything would come out. He didn't care for the sippy cups or toy cars. It was the candy that caught his eye. When he picked up a box of chewy SweeTarts, it was taken from him.

"You can have some later."

"Presents," he smiled and picked the closest one. "Open?"

"Go ahead," she replied and grabbed the camera off the coffee table.

After opening all of his presents, he didn't know what to do. It was overwhelming to have a ton of new toys and trying to decide on which one to play with. He ended up choosing the Imaginex Bat Cave. The two of them played with it together until he got bored.

"Let's get ready to go to Grandpa's and Alexis' house. Grandpa has more presents for you and we have to give Alexis hers."

"More presents!" he clapped.

"Come on," she let him run ahead and into his room. When she walked in behind him, he turned toward her. "Let's get you dressed, little man."

"More presents!"

…..

"Daddy, wake up!" Alexis kept pulling on her dad's hand. "Get up, get up!"

"I'm up," Rick mumbled with his eyes still shut.

"Get up!" she yelled a lot louder than before. When he sat up and gave her a shocked looked, she smiled. "Santa came," she said in a more innocent voice.

"Okay," he slowly slid out of bed and let his daughter drag him out of his room. When they got in the living room, he sat on the couch and rested his head against the back of it.

"No sleeping!" she yelled by his ear.

"I'm not!" he yelled back and got giggles in return. "Go grab your stocking," he said with a smile and watched her get it from the stairs.

When she returned, she climbed back onto the couch next to him. He placed his arm around her small body and watched as she was in awe with the small things in her stocking. The moment she finished and set the stocking down, she noticed that the plate of cookies only had crumbs on it.

"Daddy, he ate the cookies!" she said with a lot of thrill in her voice.

"I see that, Pumpkin. How about we open presents before breakfast?"

"Okay," she slid off the couch and sat down by the tree. She smiled when her dad sat next to her and started handing her the presents.

Once she finished, she knew exactly which present she wanted to open. Her LeapPad. She intently watched her dad put the batteries in it. She thought he was never going to hand it over, but when he did, she got so excited that she almost dropped it.

"Be careful, Pumpkin. We don't want to break it," he said as he set it on the couch. "How about you play with that while I make breakfast."

"Okay, Daddy," she replied and climbed on the couch.

Five minutes later, the loft door opened. The moment Alexis saw her Grams with two big bags, she set her LeapPad down and ran toward her.

"More presents," she said with a ton of excitement.

"Of course," Martha replied. "And it smells like I'm just in time for breakfast."

"Yeah!" Alexis took her grandma's hand and lead her into the living room. She pointed at the tree. "Santa brought me so many cool stuffs."

"What's your favorite?" Martha asked as she set the bags on the floor.

Alexis ran over to the couch and picked up her LeapPad. She held it up to her Grams. "I asked Santa for this in the letter. He gave me it!"

"Wow. You're a lucky girl."

"Santa feels broke after this Christmas," Rick said from the kitchen.

"By the looks of all the presents, I'd assume so," Martha replied.

"Well it's all done so, you guys can come eat then we can open the gifts that Grams brought you, Alexis."

"Okay, Daddy."

…..

The visit at Jim's place didn't last long because he had to go to work. However, they did end up having breakfast and opening more gifts for Noah. He also got Kate something that he knew she'd love. A locket that had a picture of the three of them in it. And once they were getting ready to leave, she shot Rick a quick text to tell him that they were on their way.

"I'd like to have dinner with the four of you sometime," Jim said as he opened the door for them.

"That'd actually be nice," Kate replied. "Um, how am I going to hail a cab with all these presents?"

Jim laughed and shook his head. "Just swing by tomorrow to get them. Noah can take his AquaDoodle with him for now."

"How's that sound, buddy?" she said to her son who was busy staring outside. When she didn't get a reply, she ended up taking it out of the bag herself. She placed the other bags of presents on the floor and took her son's hand. "Ready?"

"Ready," Noah replied.

By the time they got to Rick's loft, it was snowing. It took a few attempts to get Noah to come inside because he wanted to try and catch some in his mouth. Once she finally got him into the apartment building, he ran to the elevator and kept hitting the up button even when the elevator doors opened.

"Okay, okay," Kate said and guided him into the elevator. She pressed the button to Rick's floor and waited patiently.

The elevator doors opened to his floor and Noah took off running to the correct door. He hit the door with his left hand since he didn't fully understand how to knock. When the door opened, he was greeted with Alexis and her dad.

"Merry Christmas," Rick said to him and smiled at Kate.

"Tistmas," Noah replied and ran into the loft.

"Wanna see what Santa brought me?" Alexis asked and got a nod in return.

"Wait," Rick grabbed Noah by the hood of his coat. "Let's take your snow gear off first," he quickly got the toddler out of his coat, hat, gloves, and boots. When he was done, he turned toward Kate and smiled. "Merry Christmas," he said before he leaned in for a kiss.

"You too," she replied as she used her foot to close the door.

"So, how was your dad's?" he asked as she slipped her shoes off and hung her coat up.

"It was good. He made Noah have a laugh attack. It was probably the cutest thing I have ever witnessed," she replied.

He slipped his arm around her waist. They walked into the living room to find Noah sitting in front of the Christmas tree and Alexis laying on her stomach by him.

"What are they doing?" Rick whispered.

"I'm not sure…" Kate replied with a confused look.

"Daddy, can they open their gifts?" Alexis asked without turning toward him.

"Sure," Rick replied and walked over to sit by his daughter.

Kate put the bag she was holding next to her son and sat by him. She pulled him in her lap and kissed the side of his face until he started to giggle.

"Hand this one to Alexis," she said as she gave him the present they bought for her.

Noah turned toward Alexis and held the present to her. "Merry Tistmas," he said before she took it from him.

"This one's yours," Alexis handed him two medium sized boxes. "One is from Daddy and the other is from me."

They both opened their presents at the same time. Alexis' eyes went wide in awe. She turned over the jewelry box before opening the top. When the music started, she smiled.

"It's pretty," she said to Kate. "Thank you."

"Now you can put those pretty necklaces and earrings of yours in there," Kate replied. "And you're welcome."

Noah held up his new remote control car. "Drive fast?"

"It can go really fast," Rick answered. "I can show you how to use it when we're done."

"Okay," Noah replied and opened the top from the other box. He yanked the tissue paper out and set it next to him. When he saw the shoes that had dinosaurs on them, his eyes widened. "Dinotours!" he screamed and pulled them out. "Look!" he held them in his mom's face.

"Did you pick these out, Alexis?" Kate asked as she checked out the small pair of Vans.

"Yeah! I was gonna get him the light up ones, but these had dinosaurs on them," she answered.

"She wanted to buy him shoes because she doesn't like the ones he has," Rick added in.

"Daddy, be quiet!"

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry," he smiled.

"Yeah, his shoes are pretty beat up. And he actually likes these. Now maybe he won't want to wear his boots all the time even when there isn't snow," Kate said as she slid one of the shoes on her son's foot. "And they fit perfectly," she said after checking where his toes were.

Alexis got on her feet and stood by Kate. "This one's for you," she said as she handed her a small present.

"For me?" Kate asked as she let Noah take the wrapping paper off. When she opened the small box, a big smile formed on her lips. The customized police badge was perfect. "This is one of the best Christmas presents ever. Come here," she brought Alexis in for a side hug. "Thank you," she kissed her forehead.

"You're welcome," Alexis replied with a big smile.

"Give this one to Rick," Kate handed Noah another present.

He quickly got up and stood in front of Rick. "Tistmas," he said and handed him the present. He squatted down in front of him as he unwrapped it.

"_Batman No Man's Land Volume _Two and Three," Rick said in amazement at the comics he just unwrapped.

"You readed to me the firstest one," Noah replied and tilted his head so he could see the back of the comic.

"He said you didn't have these two and I looked in your comic book stash to make sure," Kate added in.

"That's why you acted like I caught you red handed the other day," Rick replied without taking his eyes off the comics. "Thank you, Noah."

"Welcome," Noah smiled and started to giggle when he was pulled in for a bear hug.

"Hand this to your mom for me," Rick whispered in his ear and handed him a small box.

Noah handed it to his mom. The kids watched with a lot of interest as she opened the small present.

"Rick…" Kate said when she opened the velvet box to reveal earrings that had her birth stone in them. "I can't even think of what to say," she said in a whisper.

"Just say thank you," Alexis said with an innocent smile.

"That's a good idea, Alexis," Kate said and turned toward Rick. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he smiled. When she handed him another present, his smile got bigger. He quickly opened it like the kids did with theirs. It was a watch. "You actually remember me saying I need a watch."

"Of course," Kate replied.

He turned toward her gave her her his charming smile. "Thank you. You just gave me the best Christmas ever."

"And you did the same for me."

They kept looking at each other until they were interrupted by Noah. He held up his remote control car in front of Rick.

"Show how?" he asked.

"Alright. Let's get some batteries," Rick answered before standing up.

After a couple hours of playtime, they were getting ready to go to Ryan's. Rick was trying to braid Alexis' hair into two pigtails so he could put ribbons around them. After his tenth attempt, he gave up.

"It's impossible," he said to his daughter.

"Let me try," Kate said and guided Alexis so she was in front of her. She parted Alexis' hair better than what her father did and quickly gave her pigtails. She braided each one and had Alexis turn toward her. "Perfect," she said. "You look very pretty."

"Thank you," Alexis blushed and held up the ribbons to put in her hair.

"I'm sure you can tie ribbons," Kate said to Rick before getting up to get her own son ready. She scanned the room, but couldn't find him. When her eyes fell on the stairs, that didn't have the baby gate blocking them, she panicked.

"Rick…"

"Yeah?" he asked as he tied the first ribbon in his daughter's hair.

"Was the baby gate down this whole time?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Kate ran up the first set of stairs and stood on the platform. "Noah," she called his name. "Noah James." When he came running to the top of the stairs, a big wave of relief washed over her. "What are you doing up there?" she asked with a smile.

"Ball," Noah held up a big red ball. "Catch," he threw it down the stairs and clapped when his mom caught it.

She walked up the stairs with the ball under her arm. As she got closer to her son, he ran the opposite way, but he wasn't fast enough. She picked him up and carried him under her other arm down the stairs.

"Let's put your shirt back on," she said as she set him on the floor.

Alexis came running over and helped Kate put the baby gate up. "Falling down the stairs hurts," she said to Noah. "Hey! You found my ball!" she said to Kate.

"Under bed," Noah replied and tried to get it from his mom.

"Here," Kate handed the ball to Alexis and picked her son back up. "I need to change you."

Once everyone was ready and suited up for the snow. They headed out the door. It took them awhile to get to Ryan's because they took a few wrong turns. Kate was about to get frustrated since Rick wouldn't listen to her, but once she saw Ryan's house, she was fine.

"How does a cop afford a place like this?" Rick asked as he parked in front of the one story house.

"Two incomes does help. And since it's in the outskirts of the city, it's relatively cheaper," Kate answered. "But let's get the kids inside."

They both got out of the car and opened the back doors. Kate picked up Noah's diaper bag and another bag of presents. She put them on her shoulders before taking her son out. She lifted him onto her hip because she had a feeling he'd run off.

Rick lifted Alexis out of the car and walked over to Kate. "Let me take one of those," he gently pulled one of the bags off her shoulder and carried it for her.

They walked up to the house and knocked on the door. The door opened and they were greeted with an anxious Lanie.

"Oh my god. Look at these two cuties," she said as she took Noah out of Kate's arms. She set him on the floor and started to take his snow gear off. "He's wearing a little flannel," she squealed with excitement.

Noah pointed to Alexis when she was set next to him. "Lessis."

"Hi, Alexis," Lanie said. "I'm Lanie. You are the prettiest girl here."

Alexis hid her face in her dad's leg with a smile. But when she saw Noah run off, she pulled away and looked up at Kate.

"He went to find Liam. You can go too," Kate said.

"Go ahead, Pumpkin," Rick lightly nudged his daughter to go forward. She was hesitant, but she ended up running after Noah.

"So how are you two?" Lanie asked.

"Cold," Rick answered as he hung his coat on the coat rack.

"Well, come join the party," Lanie said and lead them into the other room.

"Merry Christmas," Ryan and Jenny said at the same time when they entered the living room.

"Merry Christmas," Kate replied and hugged the two of them.

"Where's Noah?" Ryan asked while he looked behind her for the little toddler.

"He ran off to find Liam," she answered. "Jenny, this is Rick. Rick, this is Jenny."

"Nice to meet you. You have a lovely home," Rick said as he shook Jenny's hand.

"Thank you. I'd like to think so," Jenny smiled. She picked up two glasses of wine off the table and handed one to him. She gave the other to Kate.

"I shouldn't," Kate said. "Not with Noah around."

"A little wine won't kill you," Esposito said from behind them.

When Kate turned around, it was hard for her not to laugh. Noah was sitting on one of his feet while clinging to his leg. Liam was on his back holding onto a toy gun. And Alexis came running in with two guns in her hands.

"We got him," she said to everyone who couldn't help but laugh.

"Liam, come say hi," Jenny said.

Esposito helped Liam off of his back and set him down. He came running over to Kate and Rick. His captivating blue eyes were more noticeable because of his blue sweater vest. He had his dark hair in a faux hawk. And the energy he had was already radiating off the kids.

"Hi," he said up to Rick. "Who are you?"

"I'm Rick," he said as he bent down. "Who are you?" he cocked his head to the side with a smile.

"I'm Liam. I'm four years old," he smiled. "You should come play."

"How about I come play in a little bit?"

"Okay. You can have the giant gun," Liam answered and turned back toward Esposito. "You can take a break."

"Good," Esposito said as he pealed Noah off his foot. "You guys are tiring me out."

"I gotta go pee," Liam announced to everyone and ran off to the bathroom.

"He's getting so big," Kate said aloud.

"I have a feeling he's going to be taller than both of us," Ryan replied.

Noah lifted his arms up to his mom. She smiled and picked him up. When he was resting on her hip, Jenny came over.

"Oh my god. He is just the cutest thing," she said. "Look at those curls!"

"They can be a pain," Kate replied as she brushed her son's hair away from his eyes. "But I'm not ready to cut it."

"I wouldn't. Maybe a trim," Lanie added in. "He has the perfect hair."

"And who's this little one?" Jenny asked when her eyes fell on Alexis.

"That's my daughter, Alexis," Rick answered with a proud smile.

"Aw, I want a little girl," Jenny exclaimed. "You're so cute," she said to Alexis who simply blushed.

Just then the timer in the kitchen went off. "Who's hungry?" Jenny asked everyone before she walked to take the food out.

When everyone was done eating, they all gathered in the living room to exchange gifts. Nobody was unhappy with their gifts and that was a big relief. They all ended up staying in the living room to talk. The kids got bored after awhile and up ran off to play one of Liam's new games.

"Come on, let's go outside," Liam said as he unlocked the back door. He slid it open a little and looked back.

"That's not a good idea," Alexis said.

"Batman, you coming?" he asked Noah who nodded with a big smile. He absolutely loved playing in the snow.

"You're going to freeze!" Alexis exclaimed.

Liam ran out of the kitchen and to the front door. He returned with gloves and hats. He helped Noah put his hat and gloves on before putting on his own.

"Now we won't," he said to Alexis. "Come on, Batman, there's lot of evil out there," he walked onto the back deck followed by Noah.

Alexis watched them walk down the stairs and run around in the snow. She didn't think anyone was going to come out here anytime soon so, she ran to the living room. When she entered the room and stood in front of Kate, all eyes were on her. It took her a minute to say what she wanted because she was out of breath.

"They went outside," she finally said.

Kate instantly set down her glass of wine onto the coffee table. She got up and followed Alexis with Jenny right behind her. They ended up on the back porch as snow fell down on them.

The boys were running around in the snow with Batman and Thor masks on. Liam was attempting to climb onto the slide while Noah was brushing the snow off a swing.

"Noah James, you get over here right now!" Kate yelled louder than she has in awhile.

"Liam Patrick Ryan, get inside this instant!" Jenny said after her.

"Uh oh," Noah said when he turned toward the house.

Liam hopped off the slide and stood by his friend. "They are trying to throw us in jail, Batman. We have to run," he whispered. "Follow me," they both ran off to the front of the house.

"You've got to be kidding me," Kate said as she walked back into the house.

"What's going on?" Rick and Ryan said at the same time which caused them both to laugh a little.

"Our kids are running around outside," Jenny answered as she followed Kate to the front door to grab their coats and shoes.

Once they walked outside, they could hardly see anything because the snowflakes were huge and coming down ridiculously fast.

"Let me help," Ryan said as she shrugged his coat on.

"No," Jenny objected. "He runs from you more than he runs from me. I can handle it."

"Okay…" he replied, defeated.

Kate and Jenny walked outside and closed the door behind them. They walked down the porch and stood still.

"Why is it whenever they are together, they cause the most trouble?" Jenny asked as she looked to her left.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Kate answered. Her eyes fell on small footprints in the snow. "This way," she waved for Jenny to follow her.

They followed the footprints until it lead to the back of the house. Now there were too many trails to track so, they stood still. When they heard Liam, they went in the direction of his voice. They found the boys hiding by the back deck.

Kate slowly rounded the corner of the deck. She ended up scaring Liam, but not Noah because he was too busy eating the snow. She picked up her son and grabbed Liam's hand so he wouldn't run off.

"Thanks," Jenny said when she took her son's other hand.

They walked up the deck and into the back door. Kate took her son's hat and gloves off him. Rick took him from her so she could take off her coat and shoes. When she was done, he handed him back.

"I cannot believe you went outside," she said to him. "You're going to stay with me until we go home."

"Cold," Noah shivered as he laid his head on his mom's shoulder.

"Don't go outside and you won't get cold," she replied and walked to the living room.

"And you," Jenny said to Liam. "Are going in your room until your dad comes to get you, understand?"

"Not jail!" Liam yelled and tried to run off, but forgot his mom was still holding onto his hand.

"I got it," Ryan said as he lifted his son up and carried him to his room.

"Not jail. I was in here yesterday!" Liam yelled from down the hall.

Everyone gathered back into the living room. Alexis ended up sitting on her dad's lap while playing with her new LeapPad that he brought along. Kate kept Noah on her lap while wrapped in a blanket. By the time Jenny and Ryan served pie, he was asleep.

"I want more of that soda bread you made," Lanie said when she was passed a piece of raspberry pie.

"Go get some," Ryan said as he took his seat by his son and wife.

"Javi, will you get me some?" Lanie batted her eyes at him until he gave in.

"Fine," he said with his mouth full of pie.

"Thank you."

Kate shot her friend a look which made her look down at her pie. She nudged Ryan's arm with a smile. She was so going to win the bet.

Another hour passed until it was time to go. Noah ended up waking up when his coat was being put on him. Alexis had to go potty so, Lanie brought her to the bathroom. When they returned, Alexis had a little bit of lipstick on.

"Isn't she stunning?" Lanie spun her around as she giggled.

"Gorgeous," Rick said as he helped his daughter into her coat.

"Well, I'm out of here. I have an early shift tomorrow," Lanie said as she gave everyone a hug goodbye. Her hug with Esposito lasted longer than all the rest and caused Ryan and Kate to laugh.

"It was fun," Rick said to Ryan and Jenny. "You should come play poker sometime."

"You bet," Ryan said.

"Another eventful Christmas," Jenny said as she hugged Kate.

"Better than last year though," Kate replied.

"Bye," Alexis said to everyone before her dad lead her out of the house.

"Bye!" Liam basically yelled at everyone when they were outside. He ran to the window and kept waving at Noah until he was out of sight.

"Now that was a good Christmas," Rick said when they were all settled in the car.

"I'm glad you came," Kate said as she leaned over to kiss him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: You guys can blame for not letting me update this sooner. <strong>_**_Hope you enjoyed it. Any thoughts? :D_**


	11. Chapter 11

"What are you doing right now?" Rick asked Kate who was on the other line of the phone.

"Trying to get Noah clothed. Why?"

"Look outside."

She looked at her son who was hiding under the coffee table. When he gave her a big smile, she couldn't help but laugh as she walked over to the window. She opened the blinds and looked down at the sidewalk. Rick was standing with a bouquet of flowers held up at her and Alexis was holding a balloon. Both of them were smiling even though she knew they were freezing.

"Okay, Prince Charming, you can come up now before you freeze," she finally said into the phone before ending the call.

She turned on her heel to face the coffee table to find that her son wasn't there anymore. Just as she was about to go on a search for him, small knocks came from the apartment door. She basically ran over to let Rick and Alexis in because she was curious to know why he bought flowers.

"Hey," she said as she opened the door and let them inside. "What's all this for?"

"I have to have a reason to buy you flowers?" Rick questioned back.

"Yes. I mean no."

He gave her a sidewards smile and handed them to her. It was when they kissed that Noah came running over to them.

"He's naked!" Alexis shouted and hid behind her dad's legs.

"He's not naked. He's in his diaper. You used to run around in yours when you wore them too," Rick laughed as he bent down to get his daughter out of her snow gear.

"What that?" Noah as he pointed to the balloon Alexis was holding.

"That's a balloon," Kate answered as she sneakily got behind him while he was distracted. When she quickly lifted him up, he screamed. "Shush, you."

"Let down. Let down," he squirmed until he figured he wasn't going to be put down yet.

"Here," Alexis walked over and handed him the balloon string. The moment his eyes went really wide, she couldn't help but giggle. "My Daddy can use the air to make a really silly voice!"

"We won't do it with this balloon," Rick replied before he walked into the living room after Kate.

"Why not?"

"Because it's for Kate," he answered as he sat on the couch.

"Let's go buy another one!"

"Not now. We can get more some other day."

"Wanna hand me his shirt on the arm of the couch?" Kate asked Rick as she set Noah on the floor. Once he handed it to her, she looked down to see her son crawling away. She grabbed him by the waist and pulled him back to her. "Listen, you. You're going to get dressed or we won't go to the museum to see the dinosaurs."

"Noah, watch what I can do," Alexis said as she bent down next to Kate. She ended up doing a perfect somersault and when she looked back at Noah, he was staring in amazement. "Get dressed and I'll show you how."

Kate smoothed the back of Alexis' hair down when Noah sat in front of his mom. "You're too smart for me."

"She is," Rick added in as he sat on the floor by his daughter.

As Kate put Noah's clothes on him, Alexis kept doing somersaults around the living room until she collided with the couch. She stood up and wobbled a little because she was dizzy.

"What did I tell you about giving a three year old booze?" Kate joked with Rick.

"That I should only give them a sip," he replied before he pulled his daughter into his lap. "Dizzy?"

"Yeah," Alexis answered as she leaned her head back.

"Dinotaurs!" Noah exclaimed after his mom buttoned his pants.

"Yes, dinosaurs," Rick replied and got a big grin in return.

"Let's have lunch first," Kate said and got a cheer from Alexis.

…..

Once all four of them entered the museum, it was impossible to keep the kids patient before they paid their entry fee. The second they got past the desk, they ran off together. It took Kate a couple of tries to grab onto her son, so she wouldn't lose him.

When Alexis realized Noah wasn't running by her anymore, she stopped and turned around. The look her dad was giving her, made her give him an innocent smile.

"Next time, we are bringing leashes," Kate said to him as she got a good hold of her son's hand.

"Sounds like a plan," he replied as Alexis put her hand in his.

"Leashes are for doggies," Alexis said as they walked toward the dinosaur exhibit.

"We will put you in the stroller then."

Alexis turned to look at the stroller Kate was pushing. "It only has one seat."

"Then you will sit on each other," Rick said.

"No!"

"I'm only kidding, Pumpkin. But if you run off again, we are leaving."

"Okay," she sighed.

But once they were near the dinosaur displays, it was not an easy task to keep Noah and Alexis by their sides. The third time they were out of view for more than five minutes and they tried to get under the ropes around the dinosaurs, Kate ended up putting Noah in his stroller and Rick put Alexis on his shoulders. This was followed by loud protests from the both of them. Alexis was fine after a couple of minutes, but Noah ended up crying because he wanted to get out.

"Hey," Kate said as she bent down in front of him. "Do we need to go home and take a nap that's longer than twenty minutes?"

He reached his arms out to her, but she shook her head which made him cry more. She handed him his sippy cup, hoping it would calm him down like it usually did, but he threw it back at her.

"Uh oh," Alexis said when she saw what he did.

"Alright. We're going home," Kate said as she started to stand.

Noah wiped his teary eyes and looked up at her. "Dinotaurs," he whined.

"You should say you're sorry," Rick interjected.

"I sorry," Noah said to his mom with an apologetic look.

"It's alright," Kate replied and bent down in front of him again. "Let's take your hat off now," she said as she pulled it off. She ran her fingers through his damp curls. "You sweat so bad when you're worked up."

"Where's the baby dinosaurs?" Alexis asked because those were her favorites.

"They're over that way," Rick pointed toward his left. "Let's look around here first and then we will go see the baby dinosaurs."

By the time they moved on to the mammals exhibit, Noah was half asleep in his stroller. Rick noticed he was fighting really hard to stay awake when he turned around to ask Kate a question.

"He's fighting to stay awake," he said to her when they were standing side by side.

"He only took about a twenty minute nap today. He needs a couple hours to be fully energized for the rest of the day," she replied as she watched Alexis observe the bears.

"Maybe you should bring the back of the stroller down so he'll be laying."

"And if he throws a fit?"

"I'll take all the blame," he smiled, trying to get her to listen.

"Fine," she bent down behind the stroller and unclipped the strip that holds the seat up. She slowly lowered it and hoped her son wouldn't notice, but he did.

"No," Noah said as he stayed sitting up. "Out."

"Okay, you can come out," Kate said as she walked to the front of the stroller. She unbuckled him and lifted him out. Once he was on the floor, he ran over to Alexis.

"Big bears," Alexis pointed in front of her.

Noah slowly looked up at the bear that was closest to him. He started to slowly back up because it was a lot bigger than he thought. And the way its teeth were showing frightened him.

"Daddy," Alexis said when she saw the look on Noah's face.

"What, Pumpkin?" Rick asked as he took a sip of his water.

"I think he's scared," she pointed at Noah.

"Noah, come here, buddy," Kate said, but when her son didn't budge, she walked over to him. As she squatted down in front of him, his eyes stayed on the bear. She could tell his was shaking and frozen from fear. "Hey," she said in a more soothing voice. "It's not real."

"Nope. It just looks real," Rick added in.

"Let's go look at the butterflies," Alexis said with a smile.

"Sounds like a good idea," Kate said as she lifted her son and set him on her hip.

"This museum had a lot of things. How about we just narrow it down to areas they will like?" Rick asked and got a nod in return.

When they finished with the butterfly exhibit, they moved on to the birds and then primates. While they were busy looking at the lemurs, they didn't notice that Alexis wasn't by their side. And when they did, Rick basically had a panic attack right on the spot. He immediately took off running back to the exhibits they already visited. Kate couldn't keep up with him so she stayed in one spot. As she scanned the area, her eyes fell on Alexis' pink Converse shoes. She walked over to the toddler who was standing in front of chimpanzees.

"What're you doing over here?" Kate asked.

"Looking," Alexis answered with a smile, but then gave her a confused look. "Why do you look scared?"

"We thought we lost you."

"No, I'm right here," Alexis gave her another smile before walking along the display.

Kate took the time to pull her phone out of her pocket and call Rick. Seconds after telling him that she found Alexis, he was by their side. He knelt down by his daughter and pulled her in for a bear hug.

"Don't go out of sight again, okay?" he said.

"I'm sorry," Alexis said with an innocent voice. "It's right next to the other one."

"I know, Pumpkin, but I don't want anyone to take you from me. Understand?"

"Got it."

"Maybe it's time to leave," Kate suggested after Noah laid his head on her shoulder. She could tell he was about to fall asleep by his breathing.

"One more!" Alexis exclaimed. "Please?"

"Okay, what do you want to look at?" Rick asked as he took her hand.

"The froggies," she answered as she skipped by his side.

When they finished the reptile exhibit, Rick called Alfred and he was outside within ten minutes. It took them forever to get into the car because they couldn't get Noah's stroller to fold up. And when they did, they both felt like idiots since it was fairly simple. They all arrived at Rick's place almost a half hour later because of traffic.

Once in the loft, Alexis ran off to go to the bathroom. When she returned, everyone was sitting on the couch except Noah.

"Where'd he go?" she asked her dad.

"He's laying down in my room," he answered as he helped her onto his lap.

"Why?"

"Because he's really tired," Kate answered as she tickled her sides.

"Can we play hide and seek?"

"Sure. Who's hiding first?" Rick asked as he set her back on the floor.

"You count. Me and Kate will go hide," Alexis smiled up at Kate before running off.

"No cheating," Kate shot Rick a look before he covered his eyes with his hands.

He counted to fifty since Alexis usually took forever to find a hiding spot. He began by searching the living room and kitchen, but didn't find anyone. Just as he was about to go upstairs, he heard distant giggles. He slowly walked toward the bathroom until the giggling got louder. But when he pushed the already ajar door open, it stopped.

Kate kept her hand over Alexis' mouth and one her finger over her own mouth. It was hard not to laugh when she saw Rick's shadow go by the shower. Why he looked in the cupboard under the sink was beyond her. When he was drawing closer to the shower, she looked down at Alexis who was looking up at her. As he was pulling the shower curtain back, they purposely scared him. The small scream that escaped his mouth made the two of them laugh really hard.

"You scream like a girl," Kate said as she stepped out of the shower.

"Shut up," Rick pouted.

They were about to walk out of the bathroom until they saw Noah standing in the doorway. He was giving them a tired, confused look.

"Hey, big guy," Kate said as she lifted her son up. "You just don't want to sleep today, do you?"

"What doing?"

"Playing hide and go seek," Alexis answered with a big smile. "You can be on Daddy's team now."

"Okay," Noah smiled over at Rick and reached for him.

Rick happily took Noah into his arms. "It's their turn to count."

Alexis ran out of the room and was followed by Kate. They both sat on the couch, closed their eyes, and began to count. Kate couldn't help but laugh at the way Alexis was exaggerating the numbers.

"Alright, Chief, we need to find a good hiding spot," Rick said to Noah as he set him on the floor. "Where should we hide?"

Noah ran out of the bathroom and into the living room. He watched his mom and Alexis count for a few seconds before he went over to the stairs. He turned toward Rick who was behind him now.

"Good idea," Rick smiled as he lifted Noah over the gate and walked up the stairs while he held his hand. They entered the guest bedroom and hid in the closet. "Now we wait."

"Fifty!" Kate and Alexis shouted at the same time.

Alexis took the lead and looked in the closet by the front door because she thought she heard them over there. She sighed when they weren't in there.

"Where could they be?" she asked Kate.

"Let's listen," they both stood still and listened for a clue of some sort, but didn't get one.

They searched the entire downstairs without any luck. Kate was about to open the loft door to see if they were in the hall until she realized that they didn't look upstairs yet. She lifted Alexis over the baby gate and ran up the stairs after her. Alexis went into her room and looked in the closet while Kate looked under the bed.

"Nope," Alexis said and ran out of her room and into the guest room. She looked behind the door and then under the bed.

Kate walked into the guest bedroom and immediately noticed that the closet wasn't closed all the way. She motioned Alexis over to her and pointed to the closet. They both walked over to it and opened it to find Rick but not Noah.

"He's not with you?" Kate asked as he stepped out of the closet.

"Nope," Rick lied.

"You're lying," she read his look and searched the closet until she found her son under a pile of clothes.

"Roar," Noah said when he could see his mom.

"That was a good spot," Alexis said to him when he walked out of the closet.

"Fly!" Noah shouted and ran out of the room. He was about to get to the stairs until he was lifted up.

"I don't think so," Kate said as she carried him down.

"Can we order those noodles, Daddy?" Alexis asked as she walked down the stairs by his side.

"Chinese?" he asked confused because he didn't know what she was talking about.

"Yeah!"

"Sure. Kate would you like Chinese?"

"Sounds good. Besides, it's almost 6pm. But after we should probably head home," she answered as she set her son on the floor.

"You guys should stay the night," Alexis suggested, hoping they would say yes.

"Do you want to stay the night here?" Kate asked her son who clapped at the idea. "Yeah, we will stay the night. But I'm going to head home and grab some clothes. Do you mind watching him?"

"Not at all," Rick answered with a smile.

"Yay!" Alexis cheered with a little dance.

…..

When it was time to go to bed, it was impossible to calm the kids down. So, Rick who always came up with fantastic ideas, decided to build a fort for them to sleep under. Surprisingly, it wasn't too crowded, but that would have been Kate's arguing with him to make sure it was roomy enough for them to go under too. He made it a case that the closer they were the warmer they would be. It was one of his lame excuses so they could cuddle together. And in order for him to agree to make it a large fort, she had to promise that they would sleep next to each other.

Once the two air mattresses were on the floor with blankets on them, and their parents went to get popcorn, Alexis looked at Noah and smiled. She nodded toward the mattress until a sly smirk went across his face because he understood. They both jumped on it at the same time, but ended up bouncing off the edge onto the floor. The giggles they created made Rick peak his head in the opening of the fort.

"What's going on?" he asked and soon raised his eyebrow at the sight of them laying on the floor.

"He… we…" Alexis couldn't even form words because she was laughing so hard.

"Boom!" Noah demonstrated with his hands which caused the two of them to continue laughing.

Kate pushed Rick over a little so she could peak her head in. "What did you do?" she accused him of making this happen.

"I didn't do anything!" he squeaked.

"I'm kidding, you big baby."

"Big baby!" Alexis repeated her. She got back on her feet and walked over to her dad. "Big baby."

"Look what you did," Rick said to Kate. "You got her on your team."

"Girls are better, Daddy," Alexis patted his hand and walked over to Noah. "Right?"

"Right!" he agreed even though he didn't completely understand what he was agreeing to.

"So what were you two laughing at?" Kate asked.

"We both jumped on it at the same time and landed on the floor," Alexis answered with slight giggles at the recent memory.

"Careful. You might pop it," Kate quickly rose her eyebrows and went back into the kitchen.

"Pop pop pop pop," Noah chanted before he jumped onto the air mattress again.

Alexis ended up grabbing his feet to try and pull him off. "Don't pop it!"

"Help!" he screamed as he was dragged onto the floor.

"What's going on now?" Rick asked when he peaked his head back into the fort.

"He's trying to pop it," Alexis answered as she blocked Noah's way.

"Alright. Here's the popcorn," Kate said before coming into the fort. She sat down on one of the air mattresses and pulled Noah down, so he was sitting by her side. "Let's not pop the mattresses or you won't have anywhere to sleep."

"Okay," he replied as he put both of his hands in the bowl of popcorn.

"Messy," Alexis giggled as she picked up some of the popcorn that fell out and ate it.

"Alright, munchkins, what movie are we going to watch?" Rick asked as he bent down by the TV that, he made sure, was under the fort for the kids.

Alexis looked over at Noah who shrugged. "_Toy Story_?" she asked him and got a big smile. "_Toy Story_," she said to her dad.

"_Toy Story_ it is," Rick replied and put the disc in the DVD player. He sat down by Kate and took a handful of popcorn.

Once the popcorn was gone, Kate made Noah go on the other air mattress to relax and hopefully fall asleep. Alexis followed and sat by him to watch the movie.

A half hour into the movie, Alexis went to ask Noah which character was his favorite and found that he wasn't there. She scanned the fort, but couldn't see him anywhere in sight. She crawled over to her dad and Kate's air mattress. They were both laying down and reading.

"Is Noah over here?" she asked with a whisper.

"No, sweetie. Isn't he with you?" Kate asked as she closed her book to look at Alexis.

"No," Alexis shook her head.

"He must've wandered out of the fort. We all know how he likes to take off on his own," Rick smiled and set his book down.

"I'll go find him," Kate ruffled Alexis' already messy hair and headed out of the fort.

The first place she looked was Rick's office because of his Batman collection that her son loved. She didn't have any luck in there or any of the downstairs rooms. She was about to go back into the fort when her eyes fell on the loft door. It was open.

"Rick," panic already rising in her voice. "Rick!" she said louder.

"What?" he asked while he peaked his head out of the fort.

"Was the door locked?"

"Yeah, of course. I always lock the door before we sleep," he answered with a hint of confusion in his voice.

"Was the deadbolt locked?"

"No… Kate, why are you asking me this?" he questioned, but was too late because she was already running toward the door. She was so busy putting her shoes and coat on that she didn't realize she was being asked questions. "What?" she finally asked as she was zipping her coat up.

"What's going on?" Rick asked.

"I think he unlocked the door and went out. He tries this stuff all the time during the day, but never at night," she answered so fast that she was shocked her understood her.

"Alexis," Rick called for his daughter.

"Yeah?" she said while she ran over to them.

"Go wake Grams. Tell her Noah got out and we have to go find him," he answered and watched her run to the stairs. She fiddled with the baby gate until she got it to fall and ran up to where her Grams has been sleeping lately.

Within two minutes, Martha was being lead down the stairs by Alexis. She rushed over to her son and Kate. "How long ago do you think he got out?" she asked them, panic in her own voice.

"I'm not sure. We started the movie like a half hour ago," Kate answered since Rick was too busy putting his boots and coat on.

"We'll be back," Rick kissed his mother's cheek and his daughter's forehead.

"Bring him back!" Alexis yelled before they closed the door.

"Let's have some hot cocoa," Martha said as she took her granddaughter's hand. "I doubt you will want to sleep now."

"Is he okay?" Alexis asked as she was lifted onto one of the stools in the kitchen.

"I don't know, sweetheart. We will find out soon," Martha answered.

…..

"Come on, come on," Kate said as she hit the down button on the elevator a billion times.

"Where would he go?" Rick asked when the doors finally opened and he hit the first floor.

"I don't know, Rick. I really don't know," she was trying so hard to fight back her tears. One of her worst nightmares was quickly becoming reality.

"We will find him. We always find him," he tried to reassure her.

When the elevator doors opened again, they both ran out and toward the streets of New York. Once they were outside, they had no idea which way to go. There were small footprints, in the snow, closer to the buildings. And the moment Kate noticed them, she started running in the direction they went.

They were searching for almost an hour until Kate had a meltdown. She collapsed on the sidewalk and it took a lot of Rick's strength to get her standing again. He held her extremely close and tried to reassure her that they would find him. This wasn't an easy task because the way she was crying made him want to also. It took about ten minutes for her to recollect herself. And now they were searching a little slower than before. As they rounded the corner, they heard distant giggles. They both looked at each other before taking off in pursuit of the giggling.

When they reached the source, they were disappointed. It was coming from one of the televisions behind the glass of a store. Rick could tell that Kate was about to punch the glass, so he guided her away from it. He kept his arm around her waist and looked across the street. If he wasn't mistaken, he just saw a little boy hopping up and down on the sidewalk. He grabbed Kate's hand and directed her across the street.

"There!" he pointed ahead.

"Where?" she frantically searched where he was pointing until her eyes fell onto what she hoped was her son.

The closer they got, the easier it was to identify the little boy as Noah. But once they were only several feet away, he turned around. And the second he noticed that his mom was behind him, he ran.

"Noah James!" Kate yelled and took off after him.

It wasn't until she was on the edge of the sidewalk that she noticed he ran into the road. And when he fell down and a car was about to hit him, she screamed and ran in front of it. She made the car skid to a stop at an angle. She looked on the ground to find that her son was trying to crawl away. The moment after she picked him up, she ran back over to Rick.

"What were you thinking?" she yelled as tears streamed down her face. "Don't you ever doing this again. Do you hear me?" she hugged Noah in a tight hug as the tears continued to flow. "You scared me to death," she said with a lower voice as she ran her hands through his hair and kissed his face.

"Come on. Let's go back," Rick calmly said.

The three of them walked into the loft and were greeted with Martha and a sleepy Alexis. Martha gave Kate a big hug because the same thing happened to her when Rick was younger.

"I'll see you four in the morning," she said. "Don't scare your mom like that again, kiddo," she nodded at Noah and headed back upstairs to sleep.

"Bad," Alexis nodded.

"Come on, Pumpkin. Let's go to sleep," Rick said as he lead his daughter back into the fort.

Kate made sure the deadbolt was locked, along with the door handle, before she followed them. She laid her son on the air mattress next to her. Since he was shivering and her nerves were still on end, she held him to her.

Rick put a blanket on the both of them. He kissed Kate goodnight and laid on the other air mattress with his daughter.

"Please don't ever do that again," Kate whispered as she looked at her son. When he gave her his cute smile, she frowned. "It's not funny. You could have gotten really hurt," she said. He gave her his "what the hell?" look and it was hard not to smile. "Let's get some sleep," she kissed his nose to make his eyes shut and when his breathing began to steady, she was able to fall asleep herself.

It was 9:30am when Noah's movements woke her up. She slowly opened her eyes, so they could adjust to the light. The moment the memory of last night came into her thoughts, she looked down to make sure her son was still there, and he was. She smiled as she watched him sleep peacefully, without a care in the world on what was going on.

She glanced over at Rick who was sitting up and reading. "Hey," she whispered and when he looked at her, she was glad she was laying down because he always made her weak at the knees.

"Morning, beautiful," he whispered back. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," she nodded as she gently slipped her arm out from under her son's head. She quickly regretted it when he started to stir out of his slumber. When he opened his eyes and saw his mom, he cuddled up to her side.

"He loves you so much," Rick smiled as he set down his book. "I can hardly get Alexis to cuddle with me. She likes her space."

"Maybe it's because you purposely annoy her all the time," Kate teased with a slight smile.

"Good point," he replied. "Are you hungry?"

"A little. I kind of don't want to get up yet," she admitted.

"Me neither. That's why I just picked up this book," he answered with a small laugh. "Besides, it's the weekend. Why get up?"

"Exactly," she replied until she heard small stomach growls. "But somebody's hungry," she lightly tickled her son's sides.

"Me too," Alexis said with a yawn.

"Morning, Pumpkin," Rick said with a smile. "Let's get something to eat for you too."

The four of them exited the fort to find that Martha already made them breakfast. She was too busy making herself a fruit smoothie to notice they were all watching her.

"Well hello," she said once she turned around. "I was bored so I made you guys something to eat."

"Thanks, Martha," Kate said as she took a seat at the kitchen table. She let her son sit on her lap because she was still on edge.

"Pancakes," Alexis cheered when she was placed in her booster seat. "Ooh. They have strawberries on them," she said when her plate was placed in front of her.

After they were done eating, they all got dressed and headed out to drop Alexis off at her friend Emma's house for a play date. She wanted Noah to come, but he was going to his Grandpa's to spend some time with him.

…..

The three of them waited patiently for Jim to open his door. The moment he did, he looked like he was not in a good mood, but once he saw Noah, it instantly went away.

"Come here, troublemaker," he said as he took his grandson from his daughter. "I hear you explored the city by yourself last night."

"Big!" Noah nodded with a smile.

Just then, Kate's phone went off. She quickly retrieved it from her coat pocket. The name on the screen made her want to throw it across the room. But she simply ignored the call and put it back in her pocket.

"Why'd you ignore it?" Rick asked as he hung his coat up and helped her out of hers.

"Guess," she answered.

"Oh," he understood and followed her into the living room.

"Where's the other little one?" Jim asked as he got his grandson out of his coat, hat, gloves, and boots.

"She's at her friend's house," Rick answered as he sat down on the couch.

"So, how are things with you two?"

"Good," Kate smiled at Rick.

"That's good. Rick, did you know that Kate has been-" Jim stopped himself short when his daughter slapped the back of his head.

"Has been what?" Rick curiously asked.

Kate shot her dad a look to shut up or face harsh consequences, but it didn't work.

"That she has been a big fan of yours for years. She has all your books signed," Jim said and smiled up at his daughter who was glaring at him.

"Really?" Rick questioned Kate.

"Yeah," she nodded while she sat down by him.

"So I have met you before!"

"What?"

"You were with your friend, Maddie. She was getting impatient and you had this lovely smile. Wow. That was you."

"I can't believe you remember that."

"How could I not? She called me a conceited, stupid jackass playboy," he laughed.

"Oh my god," she replied with the old memory.

"We should get out of here. The love in here is smothering me," Jim scooped Noah up and ran with him into the room filled with trains.

"I can't believe he just told you that," Kate said as she looked down at her hands.

"I think it's cute. I'm glad you like my books," Rick replied as he gave her a gentle kiss. "Besides, now I know you've wanted me before I wanted you."

"Shut up," she laughed as she gently pushed him back.

Kate was about to get up to get them both a drink when her phone started to ring again. She sighed and went over to the coat rack to dig it out. She was about to ignore the call, but Rick was behind her.

"Just answer it. He probably won't leave you alone until you do," he said.

She inhaled sharply and brought the phone to her ear. "Beckett," she answered.

"I'll give you one more chance to let me see my son or I'll bring you to court for real," Sorenson slurred on the other line.

"You're drunk, Will."

Jim stood in the doorway to the other room when he heard who was on the phone with his daughter. He crossed his arms and listened.

"I want to see my son, Katie."

"Don't call me Katie," she growled into the phone. "And there's no way in hell you're seeing him when you're drunk. Absolutely not."

"But I will see him. Soon. I will."

The look on his daughter's face, made Jim take the phone from her. "Listen here, you filthy piece of shit. You do not hit my grandson and think you can see him when you're drinking. Leave my daughter alone or so help me, Will, I will come after you myself," he was going to continue, but he noticed that the call ended. He handed the phone back to his daughter with a smile. "Tell me when you bring him to court. I'll help make sure he gets no rights."

"Thanks, Dad," Kate hugged him tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too, Katie," he smiled at Rick who was silently adoring what just happened.

"Noah, how about you show me how these trains work," Rick said when he saw Noah smiling up at him

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Not as long as the previous one, but I want a whole chapter to deal with Sorenson. Thoughts?<strong>_


	12. Chapter 12

Today was the day. The day where Kate would make sure that Sorenson gets no custody of her son. The day where she tells the judge what he did and shows him proof. The day she gets relief that her son won't be hurt or taken away from her ever again. And she was getting anxious to get in front of the Judge. The only thing that bothered her was that the Judge asked to speak to Noah alone in his office. If he wasn't so young maybe she would have been okay with it. But the Judge said two year olds don't lie. They haven't figured out how to do it yet. She told Judge Brown that if he gets upset to please come get her. So, here she waits, on the bench outside of the Judge's office with a warm cup of coffee in her hands. Her dad and Rick went to get Noah a juice for his sippy cup because he ran out within an hour of being here. Why they went together was beyond her, but at least they got along. That was all that mattered.

"Do you want to play with one of the toys?" Judge Brown asked Noah who was staring at all the cars and dolls on the floor.

"Loud?" Noah asked as he bent down in front of a lime green Hot Wheels car.

"You're allowed."

Noah picked up the toy and climbed on the couch. He smiled at the Judge.

"Who's this man?" Judge Brown asked Noah when he was less uneasy, holding up a photograph of Sorenson.

"Bad," Noah nodded at the picture and continued to roll his car along the couch.

"Why is he bad?"

"No nice."

"What did he do that makes him not nice?"

Noah stood on the couch and rolled his car along the top of the cushions, ignoring the question.

"I need to know why he's not nice because if he was mean to you, I can make sure he goes to jail. How does that sound?"

"Jail," Noah repeated and smiled.

"Yes, jail. So did he hit you… right here?" Judge Brown put his hand on the back of his head to indicate the spot.

Noah stared at the man in front of him. He was kind, really kind. He had a lot of toys in his office to play with which helped distract him on what was really going on, even though he probably would never had figured it out. But the last question made him remember the time the back of his head was hit so hard that he fell face first on the floor. His eyes started to water and he plopped down and into a sitting position.

"It's okay, buddy," Judge Brown said with a caring tone. He sat down next to Noah and looked at him. "I can make sure he never hurts you again, okay?"

"Want Mommy," Noah whined and hid his face in the arm of the couch to hide his tears.

"Alright, kiddo," Judge Brown replied and walked over to his office door. He opened it and peaked his head out. He smiled at the small, happy family chatting on the bench. "He's asking for you, Ms. Beckett."

Kate handed her cup of coffee to Rick who took a sip and gave a disgusted look. "Watch my purse," she told him with a small laugh. She followed the Judge into his office and saw her son wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "What's wrong, sweetie?" she said when she sat down next to him. He climbed onto her lap and laid his head on her chest. "It's okay," she whispered.

"I'm 100% certain that your accusations are correct. Depending how good the lawyer his father gets, it should be an easy case. Shouldn't last no longer than two days. And if we're lucky, we can close it today," Judge Brown said as he sat in the chair across from them.

"He's not coming into the court room, is he?" Kate asked, motioning down to her son who was clinging onto her shirt for dear life.

"No. I prefer when toddlers and little kids, younger than ten, are not in the court room during the time. He might not understand what's going on in it, but it might be triggering like just now."

Kate nodded in total agreement. The last thing she wanted was her son to be in the room where Sorenson was. Knowing him, he would cause a scene to go over and see his son. That's why she had Rick and her dad come. She needed one of them in the court room with her for moral support and the other to keep Noah occupied.

"The trial is at 1:00pm, correct?" Judge Brown questioned, dragging her out of her thoughts.

"Yes," she answered.

"I'll be seeing you guys in a half hour," he bent toward Noah and smiled. "You did good, kiddo."

Noah hid his face in his mom's shirt with a shy smile.

"See you soon," Kate said as she got up and carried her son out of the office. She sat in-between her dad and boyfriend who looked like they were having a fun conversation. "What are you two discussing?"

"The new idea for my next book," Rick answered with a smile.

"You might be in it, Katie," Jim added in.

"What?" Kate questioned, confused by the two of them.

"I'll tell you later," Rick answered.

"So how'd it go?" Jim asked.

"He basically thinks that Sorenson stands no chance because it's obvious that he laid a hand on Noah."

It was then that Rick realized that Noah was hiding in his mom's shirt, scared. He decided to stand up and get the boy's attention. "Wanna race?"

Noah perked his head up and looked to Rick. He smiled and slid off his mom's lap.

"First one to the water fountain wins," Rick said with a smile. He guided Noah to the side of him.

"On your mark, get set, go!" Jim announced with a laugh as the two of them ran off.

Rick purposely ran slower to let Noah get the lead. The toddler was laughing so hard that he almost fell, but luckily Rick helped him regain his balance. When they got to the water fountain, he pretended to collapse next to him.

"You're so fast," he said out of breath. Noah climbed into his lap and laid the side of his head against his chest. "Tired?"

"Run fast," Noah said as he leaned his head back to look up at Rick.

"You ran really fast."

"Yeah."

"What are they doing?" Kate asked when she saw Noah and Rick sitting on the floor by the water fountain.

Jim leaned forward so he could see past his daughter. "Looks like they are tired from running," he said with a smile.

They stayed in the hall for another twenty minutes. Rick kept Noah occupied, so he wouldn't throw a tantrum or anything out of boredom. They were busy putting a small puzzle together on the floor, against the wall, when Sorenson stumbled in.

"Katie," Jim whispered and pointed in Sorenson's direction.

"Hm?" Kate questioned, turning her head toward where her dad was pointing. When she saw how unstable he was, she rolled her eyes. "Is he drunk?"

"At almost 1pm? Isn't that too early?" Rick asked since he was still close enough to hear them.

Sorenson ended up noticing them sitting there. He put his hand on one of the walls and held himself up. He watched them with severe hatred. But once he saw his son, he softened and walked over.

"No. Nuh uh," Kate said as she stood up and stood in Sorenson's path to their son. "You either just drank or have been drunk for awhile. Either way you're not coming near him when you're like this."

"That's my son!" Sorenson yelled, causing Noah to jump and hide in Rick's side.

"I know he is. He's also mine and he's scared of you, Will. I'm not letting him see you until he's ready."

"Ready? He shouldn't need to be ready. We had fun, right Noah?"

Rick noticed that the side of his shirt was collecting tears. He stood up and lifted Noah into his arms, holding him close since he was tightly clinging onto the collar of his shirt. He kept his arms securely around Noah's small body and carried him toward the vending machine.

"No. That is my son!" Sorenson yelled and stepped forward, but was pushed back by Kate.

"I can smell the alcohol on you," she growled. "You wanted to get rights yet you come here like this. Do you really think they will give you any?"

"Nope," Jim butt in and got a slight smile from his daughter.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Sorenson said in a whisper.

"Are you serious right now? You hit him, Will. He's terrified of you now. Maybe if you waited until you were completely sober to come back around, I wouldn't hate you this much."

"I suggest you leave now," Jim said in an angry voice. "The Judge will decide your fate."

Sorenson looked like he was about to say something, but stopped. He knew there was no use in arguing with the Becketts. It was a lost cause, so he swore under his breath and waited by the court room until it was time to go in.

…..

After they were in the court room for a little over two hours, they got dismissed so the court could come to a verdict. Sorenson couldn't contain his language and frustration, so he was the first out of the door. His destination was the outdoors to cool off.

Kate walked out of the room and saw Rick who was sitting on the bench. His one leg was up while the other was still on the floor. He would have looked more comfortable if the bench wasn't wooden. His arm that wasn't holding his head up was around Noah's body to keep him on his chest. The toddler's curly hair looked damp from sweat and she guessed he was hot in his hoodie, but she didn't want to take him out of it and disturb his sleep.

"How long has he been asleep?" she asked when she sat by Rick's feet.

"A good twenty minutes," Rick whispered. "How's it going in there?"

"My dad says we basically won. He's talking to the Judge now since they know each other because of… yeah."

"You're mom," he nodded and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah."

"You okay?"

"I'm good," she replied as she turned toward her two boys. "How are you even comfortable?"

"I'm not sure. At first I was sitting upright with him on me, but his head kept dropping to the side and it looked painful, so I got creative."

"Creative. Right," she rolled her eyes with a slight smile.

Fifteen minutes later, they were allowed back into the court room. She patted Rick's leg and ran her fingers through her son's hair. She needed to be strong and protect him. She kissed his forehead before following Sorenson back into the court room. They both stood in front of the Judge to hear the verdict.

"Based off of what was brought forth, I can give you a verdict today," Judge Brown said as he looked down at a piece of paper. "On the account of abuse and neglect, William Sorenson you are guilty as charged."

"What?" Sorenson yelled, but calmed himself when he knew being mad wouldn't help his case.

"As for the custody of Noah Beckett, he will be placed in the primary care of his mother, Katherine Beckett. And there will be no joint custody."

"I can't believe this," Sorenson said.

"You neglected your son and his mother for two years without child support. You have been drinking and directing your anger in the wrong ways," Judge Brown spoke to Sorenson. "You have three weeks to clean yourself up before you can gain strict supervised visits. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Sorenson sighed.

"This court is adjourned," Judge Brown announced and banged his gavel.

Kate turned toward where her father was seated. She had a huge smile on her face and so did he. They walked out of the court room together to find that Rick wasn't on the bench.

"Where would he go?" she asked her dad.

"Right here," Rick said from behind her. He was trying to open a can of soda with Noah still asleep in his arms.

"Here," Jim said as he took his grandson.

"Thanks," Rick smiled and turned toward Kate. "So?"

"We got exactly what we wanted," Kate smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you for directing me to this lawyer."

"She helped me with my custody for Alexis," Rick said with his arms wrapped around her. "Let's go pick her up and celebrate."

"Sounds good."

…..

"Daddy, watch," Alexis exclaimed to get her dad from looking at the menu. She had a crayon in one hand and a balled up napkin in the other. When her dad's eyes fell on her, she tossed the napkin in the air and hit it with the crayon, so it would go to Noah. "Home run!"

The three adults laughed at how excited she got. They watched Noah to see what he would do. He picked up the napkin with his right hand and attempted to hit it with the crayon. Instead of getting the napkin across the table, he threw the crayon.

"Uh oh," he said with wide blue eyes.

"Foul," Alexis giggled as she rolled his crayon back to him. "Try again."

Kate took the napkin out of her son's hand and set it in the middle of the table, so he couldn't reach it. "How about you just color?"

"Are they always like this?" Jim asked with an admiring smile.

"Most of the time," Rick answered as he finally came to a decision on what he wanted to eat.

"It's cute," Jim said with a smile.

"Dat dat dat!" Noah shouted and pointed out the window that he was next to.

"What, baby?" Kate questioned and leaned over to the window. There was a dog being walked on a leash by a teen girl. "The doggy?"

"Doh-gee," Noah smiled and pressed his face against the cold mirror to watch the dog.

"Maybe you should get him a dog," Jim suggested as he took a sip of his lemonade.

"How would I be able to take care of a dog during the week? I'm a detective, not Superwoman," Kate replied as she rolled her eyes at her dad's statement. A dog in her apartment? She would never have the time to feed it, take it for walks, and play with it because she had Noah to tend to. What a ridiculous idea.

"Daddy, look," Alexis pointed out the window to a man who was taking the lens off of his camera.

"Crap," Rick said as she quickly closed the blinds.

"No!" Noah yelled and tried to push them out of his way.

"What color's the frog?" Kate asked her son to distract him. She tapped her finger on the coloring book that Rick brought from his apartment.

"Boo," Noah answered as he picked up the green crayon.

"That's green, silly."

"Geen," he smiled up at his mom.

"Huh," Rick said, looking between his daughter and Noah.

"What?" Jim and Kate said at the same time.

"I never noticed that Noah was a lefty," Rick answered as he watched the two year old trying to color in the lines.

"Really?" Kate rose her eyebrow at him. "All of his toys go in that hand unless he's holding two. He opens drawers and drags things with that hand. I'm shocked Mr. Writer here hasn't noticed," she teased.

"I don't pay attention to what hand he uses!"

"Well, now you know that he's left handed," Jim said to get them away from a stupid argument.

The waitress came over and took their order. Alexis ordered chicken fingers with a side of fries. Kate ordered Noah's dinner and got him the same thing as Alexis. Her and Rick both got a plate of chicken parmesan which Jim thought was very adorable of them. And Jim got himself a cheeseburger with sweet potato fries and apple sauce.

"Should be about fifteen to twenty minutes," the waitress said before she walked away.

Alexis was busy stacking the little packets of butter when she saw what Noah was trying to do. "Don't do that," she said.

Kate looked over to her side to see her son reaching for her soda. She pushed the glass away from his hands, but he still attempted to get it.

"Has he ever used a straw?" Rick asked when he noticed what Noah was doing.

"No, I haven't let him use one. Have you, Dad?"

"Nope. Never thought about it before," Jim answered. "Let him taste the lemonade," he said as he slid his cup past his daughter and toward his grandson.

Kate picked up the glass of lemonade and held the straw. She brought it to her son and he watched her very intently. She held the straw near his mouth. "Try some," she encouraged with a smile.

"I can't see," Alexis whined, trying to see past Kate's arm that was blocking her view.

"Here," Rick said before he let his daughter stand in the booster seat with his hands on her sides, so she won't fall.

Jim grabbed his daughter's phone and opened the camera, so she would have a picture of this. "It's good, Noah."

Noah got the straw in his mouth, but didn't know what to do. He bit down on it at first and accidentally sucked on the straw which brought a little bit of the lemonade into his mouth. His eyes widened and he pulled back to try and understand how that happened. Everyone was laughing, so he tried it again and this time got more in his mouth. He's never had lemonade before, so this made him suck on the straw vigorously. Kate had to pull it back when it started to dribble out of his mouth and onto his shirt.

"Good?" she asked with a smile.

"More," he reached for the glass and she let him take a few more sips before putting it back on the table.

"He's messy," Alexis said when she sat back down in her booster seat. "Why are boys messy?"

"Because they like to be stinky," Kate answered which got her a giggle in return. "Dad, want me to get you another straw?" she turned toward her dad and asked him.

"He's my grandson. I think I can handle it," Jim smiled and took his glass back. "Besides, he's not sick and contagious."

"What's…" Alexis thought for a minute. "What's con-tag-us mean?"

"Contagious means that he can't get someone else sick," Rick answered his daughter's question.

"Oh," Alexis nodded before she grabbed her cup of Hi-C and took a sip.

They ended up getting their food after a little over fifteen minutes. Kate had to held break up Noah's chicken fingers, so he wouldn't try to eat the whole thing at once like he's done in the past. She slid his plate in front of him and handed him his fork. "No hands," she said with a look before turning to her plate.

Alexis grabbed the first chicken finger and bit down on it. She immediately dropped it. "Hot!" she yelled really loudly which got the older couple behind them to laugh.

"Here," Rick smiled and cut his daughter's chicken fingers in half, so they could cool off. "Do you remember how to blow on them?"

Alexis leaned toward her plate and lightly blew on her food. The last time she blew on something hot, she ended up getting spit everywhere, so she made sure she did it with less force.

Noah saw what she was doing and tried it himself. He ended up blowing raspberries instead which got everyone at their table to laugh.

"Ew," Alexis giggled which caused him to also.

They all ate their food until they were full. That was except Noah. He ended up just eating some of his fries and drinking out of his sippy cup.

"You have to eat in order to get ice cream," Kate said before she took a sip of her soda.

"Three more bites!" Alexis exclaimed with her hands in the air.

"Three more bites," Kate repeated to her son. She took his fork and got a piece of the chicken on it. "Open," she said when she placed it near his lips. He slowly opened his mouth and she put the fork in. She did that for five more bites instead of three.

"Ah. Look at the time," Jim said when he glanced down at his watch. "I have to be up super early tomorrow. Sorry I can't get dessert," he said as he pulled out his wallet to pay his share.

"It's on me," Rick said, putting his hand on the man's wallet. "In celebration for Kate's custody rights."

"Are you sure?" Jim asked.

"Positive. You can buy next time," Rick smiled.

"Alright," Jim replied and put his wallet back in his pant's pocket. He grabbed his coat and shrugged it on before he leaned over and kissed his daughter's cheek. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye, Dad," she gave him a tight hug. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Katie," Jim replied. "Bye, Noah," he ruffled his grandson's hair. "Bye, Alexis," he waved with a smile before walking away from the table.

"Ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream," Alexis chanted while she hit her hands on the table.

"Sh sh sh," Rick placed his hands over his daughter's. "In a second."

Once the waitress came back, they ordered their ice cream. Kate ended up getting an ice cream sundae, which was totally against her diet, but she thought it would be easier to share with her son then give him his own. By the time they finished, the sugar was already settling in the kids and they were getting extremely antsy. They quickly paid the bill, tipped the waitress, and got ready to go out into the cold. They let the kids walk around outside to get rid of some of their new energy until Rick called the town car.

They ended up at Rick's apartment for the night for two reasons. One, Kate didn't want to go back out in the cold. And two, she wanted to sleep in the same bed as Rick tonight. It's not something she was ready to admit out loud, but she was starting to fall incredibly fast for him.

…..

That night, they all gathered in Rick's bed to watch a movie. Rick had his arm around Kate's waist as he held her close to him. They both took a shower, separately, before bathing their kids. Alexis was at the foot of the bed, so she could be closer to the TV since they kept talking every so often. Noah was cuddled up to his mom's side because he felt jealous that Rick was getting some of his attention and he was tired.

Kate played her son's wet curls at the base of his neck. She was so glad that Sorenson didn't get any rights and that he wouldn't be able to see him for three weeks. Which to her, was enough time to get clean. She wouldn't trust him for awhile, but that was why he will only have supervised visits.

She noticed her son's weight on her side get more heavy. She looked down at him to find that he fell asleep clutching onto the bottom of her shirt.

"Hey," she whispered to Rick. "Where is he sleeping tonight?"

"We can lay them both down in the guest bedroom. That way when he wakes up, he won't freak out because he will recognize Alexis," Rick answered. "Is he asleep?"

"Yeah," she answered as she slid her arm around her son's body, so it would be easier to get him onto her lap and carry him upstairs. Once he was laying his head on her chest, she didn't want to move him just yet. "Let's wait a few more minutes," she said to Rick who smiled and kissed her forehead.

Rick looked over at his alarm clock to find that it was close to 10:30pm. He then glanced down at the bottom of the bed to find that his daughter had fallen asleep. He slid his arm from behind Kate's back and got off the bed. The way his daughter was sleeping in a ball, made him not want to move her, but he knew he had to. He scooped her into his arms and waited for Kate to follow him.

They both walked up the stairs and into the guest room. Kate used her free hand to pull the blankets down. She laid her son down close to the middle of the bed. He immediately rolled onto his stomach as she watched to make sure he wasn't going to wake up. Next, Rick laid Alexis down. She rubbed her eyes a few times before her arm dropped by her side. Kate pulled the blankets over the both of them.

"Wait," Rick whispered before he ran out of the room. He made a few loud noises in his daughter's closet and returned with two bed rails. "Better safe than sorry."

"You got that right," Kate smiled and took one from him. She put the bars under the bed and adjusted the rail so it was parallel with her son. Once she was done, she leaned down at kissed his cheek. "I love you," she whispered.

Rick took a little longer with the rail, but once he was done, he kissed his daughter's forehead. "Love you, Pumpkin," he whispered before walking out of the room. He switched the light off and left the door open. He turned the hall light on by the stairs, so it wouldn't be dark if one of them woke up.

The two of them walked back into Rick's bedroom. Kate climbed onto the bed and sat against the headboard. She watched Rick observing her. She knew everything that was running through his mind right now because it was going through hers. She bit down on her bottom lip and motioned her finger for him to come closer.

Rick's eyes widened when he realized that she actually did that. He slowly climbed onto the bed as she laid down, so he could get over her easier. He placed his hands by her head and looked down at her. She was still biting down on her lip, making him second-guess himself. But the look in her eyes made him know that she wanted this just as much as he did.

The moment their lips collided, their hands started to slowly explore each other's body. Kate brought her chilly hands up the sides of his shirt. He gasped which made her want more. And she got more. So much more.

They laid in his bed out of breath. She placed her head on his armpit as his arm wrapped around her side. She traced small shapes on his chest. "Wow," she whispered.

"Yeah," he replied, letting what they just did play in his mind again.

Kate wrapped one of her legs around his and pulled herself, so she would be closer to him. "Why did I want to wait again?" she laughed.

"Because you were unsure with all this Sorenson bullshit."

"Mm."

"I'm glad we waited."

"Why's that?"

"I don't think it would have been this magical."

Kate watched her finger trace the shapes on his chest. She waited because she didn't want to me another notch in his bedpost. She wanted it to mean something when they finally made love. Was it love? It definitely was. She smiled and lifted her head to look at him.

"I love you," she said, looking into his blue eyes that held great amounts of amazement.

"Oh, god, Kate," he pulled her in for a kiss. "I love you too. So much," he said as he rolled on top of her for easier access to her lips, neck, and everywhere he could get to. They ended up going for another round. And after this one, they cuddled up together and fell asleep very happy.

…..

Alexis rolled onto her side then back onto her stomach. She turned her head and opened her eyes. She wasn't in her room. She quickly got on her hands and knees and looked around. When she realized that she was in the guest room, she relaxed. She was about to climb off the bed until she saw that Noah was by her. A small giggle escaped her lips and she crawled over to him.

Noah was laying in a diagonal position. His thumb was hanging out of his open mouth and his other hand was clutching onto the pillow that he wasn't on. Alexis watched him sleep for a few moments, wishing that he was her brother, so they could have sleepovers every night. But she knew that wasn't going to happen, so she crawled to the bottom of the bed and slid off.

She ran out of the guest room and into the upstairs bathroom to relieve her bladder. She was sitting on the toilet and swinging her feet when she realized that Kate was still here. She quickly finished in the bathroom and ran toward the stairs. Last time she ran down the steps, she fell, so she got on her bottom and slid down that way. Once she was at the bottom of the stairs, she took of toward her dad's bedroom.

When she entered his room, she froze. Her dad was holding Kate extremely close. They were both asleep and if she guessed correctly, naked. Her eyes widened and she was about to open her mouth to yell "ew" until her dad started to move around. She squinted her eyes at him and ran over to his side of the bed.

Rick rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. He looked down to find that Kate was still asleep on his chest. He pushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear and watched her sleep for a few seconds before turning to his alarm clock to see what time it was. When he turned his head, his eyes caught his daughter who was watching him.

"Jesus, Alexis," he whispered and then smiled. "You scared me."

"I'm hungry," Alexis said with a smile.

Rick looked at the alarm clock. 9:03am. Not bad for his daughter. Usually she was up a lot earlier than this.

"Go find what you want and I'll be right out," he said, so he could get clothed before getting out from under the blankets.

"Okay!" Alexis exclaimed and ran out of the room.

She got into the kitchen and heard crying. It confused her for a second, but then she remembered Noah was upstairs by himself. She ran up the stairs and into the guest room.

"Noah!" she exclaimed with her arms in the air to illustrate her excitement.

Noah was sitting in the middle of the bed, rubbing his watery eyes.

"Come on," Alexis said from the bottom of the bed. He crawled over to her and looked down. "I'll help you," she said as she put her hands under his armpits like she's seen Kate do. She helped him down, but they both ended up on the floor. "Ouch," she giggled when he was halfway on her and he got up. She noticed that he ran out of the room and she chased him. She grabbed his hand right before he was about to go down the stairs. "Sit like me," she sat down at the top step and started to slide down them. He smiled and imitated her until they were at the bottom of the steps. When they both looked up, Kate and her dad were in front of them.

"Morning, buddy," Kate smiled and bent down in front of her son. "Someone's been crying," she wiped the wetness underneath his eyes.

"You two were nakey," Alexis said as she opened the cupboard that contained the cereal.

Rick spit his orange juice back into the cup and looked over at Kate. She was silently laughing at his shocked expression. "What, Pumpkin?" he asked as he wiped his mouth.

"Nakey!" Alexis repeated and held up a Captain Crunch box of cereal.

"We weren't naked," Rick said.

"Yeah huh."

Great, Rick thought. A conversation he wanted to avoid with his daughter. She has walked in on him with someone else in his bed before and she wouldn't drop it for a few weeks. Maybe it would be easier because it was someone she knew. At least he was hoping it would be.

"Kate's my girlfriend, Pumpkin. We just slept in the same bed together."

"Nakey," Alexis smiled.

Rick slapped his forehead with his hand.

"We weren't naked, Alexis," Kate lied. "Your dad didn't want to wear a shirt to bed because it was hot in the room. And I was wearing a tank top."

"Oh," Alexis said. "Still nakey."

Noah lifted his hands up to his mom and she picked him up. She set him on her hip and stood next to Rick.

"You can believe that we were naked, but we weren't," Kate said to Alexis who frowned up at her.

"Fine," Alexis mumbled and held up the cereal box again.

"Close call," Rick whispered to Kate. "Thanks."

"Next time, wear a shirt," she slapped his shoulder with a smile.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Aw yeah. They did the dead. XD Thoughts?<strong>_


	13. Chapter 13

Kate marched out of the bathroom, gripping onto her phone. She stood behind the couch and watched Rick help the kids build something that looked like a castle made of legos. Legos made her nervous when it came to her son because he's still at the bring everything to the mouth phase and she got one stuck up her nose when she was six. And after the doctor in the hospital got it out, she was traumatized for months and wouldn't touch them. But the way Rick kept his eye on both kids at the same time was amazing. He was helping Alexis stack the legos together while he watched Noah play with them. It was moments like these that she hated being on call. She could honestly stand here all day and watch them.

"I need a green one, Noah. Can you find the green?" Rick asked while he held the soon-to-be castle in place so his daughter could put a lego on.

"Geen geen geen," Noah repeated as he looked through the pile of legos that were surrounding him. He picked up a handful and handed them to Rick. He waited until the man's hand lay entirely open, so he could see them better. "Geen geen geen," he said as he picked up a blue lego.

"Nope. What color's this one, Alexis?" Rick asked his daughter who looked at the lego that Noah was holding.

"Blue," she answered with a lot of pride in her voice.

"Good job," Rick smiled at her before turning back to Noah. "This one is blue. Where's the green one?"

Noah narrowed his eyes at the colorful legos. He picked up a square green one and held it up. "Geen?"

"That's green. Good job, buddy," Rick set the remaining legos down on the floor before ruffling Noah's hair. He got a toothy smile in return.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I just got called in. A body dropped," Kate said as she walked over to them.

"Go catch the bad guys," Rick smiled up at her. "I have everything under control."

"You sure? I bet my dad would be willing to take him."

"Go on now," Rick waved his hand. "Shoo," he smiled.

Kate shook her head and smiled. She let her eyes fall on her son who had his hand by his mouth until it quickly dropped by his side. "Hey," she said, sitting down next to him. He started to crawl away, but she picked him up and sat him in her lap, facing her. "Open," she gently tapped his mouth. She ended up having to pry her son's wet mouth open to get the lego out. She placed it back on the floor and wiped her fingers on her pants. "That's a no-no. You do not put legos in your mouth, got it?"

"Ohs," Noah repeated with a smile and small nod.

"Mommy has to go to work, but you can stay here and play with Alexis until I come get you. How does that sound?"

"No," Noah immediately went from happy and cheerful to completely devastated. He flung into his mom's chest so hard that she almost fell backwards. He gripped onto her shirt and shook his head. "No no no no."

"How about we go to the toy store while your mom is gone?" Rick asked while he helped his daughter put the last pieces on the castle.

"No no no," Noah whined into his mom's shirt, tears already starting to fall.

"We can buy you more trains or even swords. You like swords, don't you, buddy?" Rick said, turning to face his girlfriend and her son. The look he was getting from Kate made him want to pull her close and never let her go. She was learning everything he already knew because he already went through it with Alexis. His daughter might not have suffered from this much separation anxiety, but that's because he was always home with her since his work was done in the study.

"Daddy, can we buy those laser tag things?" Alexis asked while she checked out the castle, making sure it was exactly how she wanted it to be.

"Sure," Rick smiled at his daughter and got one in return. "Noah, do you like guns?"

Noah peeled himself away from his mom to look over at Rick with his hand still wrapped tightly around her shirt.

"We can play cops and robbers with my daddy and we can actually shoot him!" Alexis exclaimed, getting extremely excited for the expensive toy she is going to be getting soon.

Noah looked up at his mom before tightening his grip on her sleeves. He didn't want her to leave. She always left.

"What time is it?" Kate asked since she couldn't look at her watch because her son made it hard for her to move her arms.

Rick turned toward the clock on the wall, completely forgetting that he had a watch on his wrist. "1:30 pm, why?"

"N-A-P," Kate spelled as she yanked her sleeve out of one of her son's hands and wrapped it around him.

"But you have to go," Rick replied as his daughter climbed into his lap.

"I'll text Esposito and tell him I'll be there in a half hour. Besides, I highly doubt he will lay down once I leave unless he's crying himself to sleep."

Alexis let out a small yawn as she fiddled with her dad's watch. Rick looked down at her then back at Kate.

"Are you tired, monkey?" Rick asked his daughter, keeping his eyes on Kate.

"No, Daddy," Alexis sleepily sighed.

It was definitely nap time for the little regrets.

Kate smiled at Alexis, lifted her son up, hoisted him onto her hip, and walked over to the kitchen. She took the clean sippy cup out of the dish strainer and opened it. When Noah's arm went on her shoulder, followed by his head, she gently laid the side of her face on his hair. She loved him so much. He was the number one reason, out of three, that she got out of the hole her mother's murder put her in. His pure innocence and his need for love. Her love. She hated leaving him to go to work, but this is the path she chose. She can't just walk away from it. What would she do then? She thought she was going to finally catch her mother's killer once she was a homicide detective, but she hasn't gotten close at all.

Her son's small sigh against her neck made her snap out of her thoughts and open the fridge for juice. She took the grape Juicy Juice out and opened it. While she was pouring it in his sippy cup, she felt eyes on her. She turned around to find Rick looking at her with that look of curiosity that he always had.

"What?" she questioned while twisting the lid onto the sippy cup. She turned it upside down over the sink to make sure it wasn't going to leak and handed it to her son who happily took it.

"You're a good mom," Rick said since he could sense what she was thinking. She was difficult for him to read, which made him try harder than he has with anyone. He wanted to get into her mind and untangle the way she thought. He knew it would be awhile to understand her completely, to peal back all her layers and see the whole Kate Beckett. It would happen though, with a lot of patience.

Kate's eyes ended up watering when he said that she was a good mom because she thought she was a pretty bad one. She hardly had time for her son during the week and on the weekend, she never really knew what to do with him. Movies, games, and toys got old fast with a two year old's attention span. That's why she was extremely thankful that Rick came into her life. He knew what to do since he was basically still a kid himself. He always had amazing ideas that would entertain the kids for hours, something she wish she knew how to do. She was learning though. At least she was doing that, right?

"Don't ever doubt that you're not a good mom," Rick said as he rounded the island, drawing up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his face into the side of her neck that Noah wasn't near. "Because you are. I see the way you look at Noah and the way he watches you with those blue eyes of his… I get jealous of that."

"Jealous? You?" Kate questioned, letting herself lean back into him.

"It seldomly happens," he answered, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Ugh. Why did I agree to be on call today?"

"Don't wanna go? Afraid you'll miss me?"

"Yeah. Right," she snorted, causing him to quietly laugh into her ear.

"Hab some," Noah interrupted, bringing his sippy cup to his mom's lips. She pretended to take a sip, making smacking noises with her mouth. It made him form a big smile before he stuck it back into his mouth.

"See? Good mom," Rick said as he unwrapped his arms from around her to pick up his daughter who was now at his feet. "Let's lay down and watch a movie. After, we can go to the store where we saw the laser tag gear."

"Yay!" Alexis clapped. She leaned over to give Kate a semi-wet kiss on her cheek before her dad walked her over to the couch.

Kate decided to lay down in Rick's bed with her son until he fell asleep. Rick was on the couch with Alexis since that was where she always napped. She actually liked the fact that he wasn't in the room with her right now, taking away some alone time with her son.

She ran her fingers through Noah's wavy hair until he became completely relaxed. She could tell that he knew it was nap time and she was shocked that he wasn't trying to fight it. Maybe he just wanted to be with just her and absorb all of this attention before she left. Or maybe it was because it was rarely the two of them anymore. Tomorrow night or whenever she got out of work early, she would take him out, just the two of them.

Fifteen minutes slowly crept by and Noah was fast asleep. Once Kate was 100% sure he wasn't going to wake up, she got off the bed and made her way into the living room. When she saw Rick with his head against the back of the couch, mouth open, and eyes closed, she shook her head with a smile. Looks like it was nap time for everyone except her. Bummer.

She walked over to the couch and pulled Alexis' blanket up to her shoulders. She brushed the girl's soft hair back, so it wasn't hanging in her face. The love she had for Alexis was unbelievable. It was hard not to love this little girl with her innocence, smarts, and pure happiness that was always radiating off of her. She was glad to be a part of her life. She turned toward Rick and smiled as she pulled out her phone to capture a picture. This will definitely be used against him.

…..

Rick woke up because he felt weight climb onto his lap. He slowly opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the brightly lit room. When he looked down, he found Noah curled up against him, holding onto a train.

"Hey, big guy," Rick yawned before rubbing his eyes to try and get rid of his sleepiness.

"Mommy go," Noah quietly whined into Rick's shirt.

Rick lifted his wrist, so he could see his watch. Wow, he was asleep for a little over an hour, which would explain why his neck was sore. He rubbed the back of it with one hand while the other held Noah close to him. "She had to go to work," he said.

"No come back?"

"She'll be back later," Rick answered. He was about to grab the remote to turn up the volume on the TV when he smelt it. A dirty diaper. Ugh. He hasn't had to change one in a year and Noah never pooped when he watched him until now. "Let's get you changed," he said, getting off the couch and holding Noah from under his armpits, arms length away. He headed to his bedroom and laid the toddler on his bed.

Noah crawled around the big bed with his train. He moved the pillows toward the center and used them as hills. Rick watched him for a few moments before grabbing the diaper bag near the door and placing it on the bed. He took out the changing pad and laid it a little ways from the edge. When he grabbed Noah, he got some protests until he made funny noises to distract the boy. While he unbuttoned the small pair of jeans with one hand, he took out a clean diaper and wipes with the other.

"Here we go," he announced to Noah who attentively watched him like he knew Rick hasn't done this in awhile. Rick unstrapped the diaper and pulled it down. "Not bad," he nasally replied because he was breathing out of his nose. He was expecting diarrhea until he remembered Noah wasn't eating just formula.

When he was finished cleaning Noah off, he put a fresh diaper on him and let him wander on the bed like that for awhile. He put the dirty diaper in one of the bags that was in the diaper bag. Once he tied the knot, threw it away in the master bathroom, and came back out, Alexis was on his bed.

"Did you have a good nap, Pumpkin?" he asked with a huge smile.

"I could hear him squealing," Alexis giggled and pointed at Noah. "He likes being nakey!"

"Me too," Rick nodded and got a "you're crazy" look from his daughter. "How about we get a snack and go buy the laser tag gear? We can also stop by your favorite toy store if you want."

"Yeah!" Alexis stood up and hopped on the bed with a great deal of enthusiasm.

After getting the kids a snack, packing juice boxes, sippy cups, and crackers, they headed out of the loft. Rick held onto his daughter's hand when they walked outside and kept Noah on his hip. He decided to give Alfred a break for today and drive himself to the store.

They ended up buying the laser tag gear first. After, Rick drove them down to 5th Avenue, which took forever. Even with the snow, the streets were still jam-packed, but he remained calm and headed to FAO Schwarz. This was Alexis' favorite toy store because it always had unique toys for her to choose from. It ran on the expensive side, but Rick didn't mind spending his money when it made the kids happy.

Rick walked into the store, holding both the kid's hands because Noah didn't want to be on his hip anymore. Once inside, Noah's eyes went really wide and his mouth formed a firm O. Must be his first time here, Rick thought. He had to gently pull the toddler forward, so they could look around.

They spent over an hour looking at the toys until the kids got three ideas on what they wanted to get. Each item was way over $40, but Rick really didn't care. He ended up buying them both a Power Wheels Fisher-Price Lil' Quad. Alexis picked out a Dora one while Noah insisted on getting the Batman one. After they purchased the quads, a stockman helped bring them outside and put them in the trunk of the car.

Once the kids were situated in their carseats, Rick got in the driver seat. He listened to how excited they were about their new toy. His daughter even have the best idea to push all the furniture against the wall, so they could ride on them in the house. How could he object to that? It would probably be the cutest thing he has seen.

When he started the car and pulled out into the busy street, he thought about what Kate might think of him buying Noah something so expensive. Hopefully she wouldn't get too mad. He didn't want to anger her. He actually feared her, though he would never admit that aloud.

Rick stopped at the red light and since he was the car directly in front of the light, he watched the people cross the street. How could they walk around outside in the cold? He would last no longer than five minutes, depending on how fast he was moving. He shook his head and glanced in the rearview mirror to see that his daughter was talking to Noah. Right when he looked back up at the light, it turned green. He hit the gas pedal and made his way across the intersection.

It happened so fast.

The second Rick saw the truck coming toward him on his right, it crashed smack-dab into the side of the car. His body flung to left, making his arm smash into the door and then forward because the car from behind drove into the back bumper. The last thing he heard was his daughter's screaming and yelling.

Then there was only darkness.

…..

Rick woke up to people talking super fast, beeping noises, and something he couldn't figure out.

Was it crying?

It took his eyes forever to adjust to the extremely bright room and even when they did, he could hardly tell where he was. He tried to get up, but a sharp pain went up his left arm, so he stayed still.

"Mr. Castle, do you know where you are?" the doctor said.

"Daddy!" Alexis cried out to him.

"Sh, Alexis. It's okay. Let me ask your dad a few question, alright?" the doctor questioned, getting a nod and pouty lip in return.

"What's going on?" Rick questioned, starting to panic because of the way his daughter called out to him.

"You were in a serious car accident. You hit your head pretty hard on the steering wheel, which knocked you unconscious. We checked for head trauma and you don't have any," the doctor said. "And if you haven't noticed the pain in your left arm, you will eventually. X-rays show that you have a non-displaced fracture of your ulna, which is right here," the doctor moved his finger down the ulna of his left arm. "You will have to keep a cast on for six weeks. I'd say it can be off sooner, but everyone heals at a different pace."

"Okay," Rick nodded. "Alexis," he whispered to himself. "Where's my daughter?" he loudly questioned, sitting up really fast.

"She's fine. She has a Greenstick fracture, which is an incomplete fracture where the bone bends. She also has small stitches from the glass, and minor cuts and bruises," the doctor said to Rick and looked at down at the little girl sitting against the bed rail. "You're okay now, right Alexis?"

She didn't answer, instead she practically dove into her dad's right side. She clung onto him so hard that she was actually pinching his skin. Rick had to gently pull her hands up, so it wouldn't hurt him so much. After, he looked down at his little girl.

Alexis had many small cuts scattered across her face and a small bandage just above her right eyebrow. He guessed that this was where her stitches were located. He leaned his head down and lightly kissed the bandage. Next, he placed his hand on her pink cast.

"We're matching," he said to her and held up his blue one. He silently thanked the person, that put it on him, didn't choose an obnoxiously bright color. His daughter's small smile helped make him feel better. He was just about to fully relax until he remembered that Noah was also in the car during the crash. "The little boy, Noah, where is he?" he asked the nurse who just walked into the room when the doctor walked out.

…..

Esposito skidded the car to a complete stop in front of the emergency room doors. Kate took her seatbelt off and shoved the door open. She didn't have to tell her partner to go park the car, he knew she wasn't coming back. Finding a parking spot was the least of her worries.

She ran through the automatic doors, her legs moving her forward while her brain tried to catch up. She got the call right when the team was about to go after a suspect. A call that said her son was in the hospital and that's all she needed to hear before she sped off to the elevator. Esposito offered to drive her because he feared she would be too unstable behind the wheel. She let him, making sure the siren was on, so they could get here faster.

"Where's my son?" she asked the receptionist with pure panic.

"Noah Beckett?" the lady asked since she wasn't given a name.

"Yeah. Where is he?"

"He's in surgery right now. If you just have a seat, the doctor will be with you momentarily."

Kate's hands were shaking now. Her knees felt weak and she was having a hard time breathing. She had to grasp onto the desk to keep herself from falling over. Surgery. Her two year old son was in surgery. She wanted to know why, but she couldn't seem to form the right words to question everything.

Esposito walked through the doors and over to his partner. He put his arm around her shoulder and guided her to one of the chairs in the waiting area. When she was seated, he went back to the receptionist.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, but I can only give information to immediate family members."

Esposito pulled out his police badge, more like an all access badge to certain things. When the lady behind the desk saw it, she nodded.

"He was in a car accident along with the two other people in the car. When the truck crashed into the right side, it was the one her son was on. The truck hit most of the back and some of the passenger's side. Her son got the most damage," the lady nodded toward Kate who was now staring off into the distance, her eyes glossy with tears.

"Can we see the other two? Castle and Alexis?"

"Uh… sure. They are both in room five," the lady answered, and pressed down the button to unlock the doors to the patient's area.

"Beckett," Esposito waved for her to follow and she did.

Kate rushed into the room where her boyfriend and his daughter were. The moment Rick's eyes met hers, she had to act like she was itching her eyes to get rid of the tears. She hesitantly walked over to his bed, Alexis' eyes following her the entire time. Kate placed her hand on Alexis' hair and leaned down to be near her face.

"You're a tough cookie," she said before gently kissing the little girl's forehead.

"Cookie," Alexis giggled into her dad's side.

"The matching duo," Kate stated her observation. "No more rough play for awhile."

Rick reached his right hand out to her and held onto hers. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Kate's breath got caught in her throat. Her heart started to race again and her hands were became shaky. Her son was still in surgery and she was in here, trying to make them feel better. What kind of person was she?

She stood up and slowly backed away from the bed. "I can't," she nearly whispered before walking out of the room. She ran away from from the door with her head in the clouds and ended up in the girl's bathroom.

She let cold water stream out of the sink. Her hands were gripping on the sides as she let the tears fall. Her son was in surgery, her beautiful baby boy, and there was nothing she could do to help. She felt so useless. Her whole body was trembling as the tears continued to pour. She hated herself for breaking down like this. She hated that she had to go to work. Maybe if she ignored the call, everyone would be okay because they would have stayed indoors.

She cupped her hands together and let the cold water gather into them. She bent her head down, so she could splash it on her face without making a mess. When she looked into the mirror, she let out a stifled laugh. Her eyes were puffy and red and her mascara trailed down her cheeks due to the tears. She grabbed a paper towel and got it wet, so she could try and clean herself up before walking out.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, she was met with a worried Rick, concerned Esposito, and scared Alexis. How long was she in there? She looked down at her watch to find out that she was probably in the bathroom for over a half hour. Great. Now everyone knew she had a breakdown and her red eyes, nose, and eyebrows were probably a dead giveaway.

"He's in ICU," Rick said as his fingers lightly touched her arm. "Only family can go see him."

Kate just stared into his blue eyes. She was absorbing everything, but seeing and hearing nothing.

Rick leaned close to her ear. "Kate, go see your son," he whispered before placing a hand behind her neck and kissing her forehead. "He needs you right now."

Kate nodded to herself and let everyone lead the way to the ICU floor. When they walked out of the elevator, she walked over to the desk that a couple nurses were behind.

"N-n-noah Beckett," she stuttered, trying with all her might to stay strong. She couldn't go see her son while crying. That would put him on edge and that was the last thing she wanted.

"Room 17," the younger nurse read off a chart.

"Thank you," Kate whispered before heading toward her son. When she was outside the correct room, she inhaled sharply and walked in.

Noah was hooked up to an IV and a breathing tube. The sight of her little boy like this made Kate's knees start to tremble again, but she had to be strong. She walked closer to her son and stood beside him. His eyes were closed and his breathing was steady - he was unconscious. There was a thick bandage wrapped around his head and she knew that was where his surgery took place. His beautiful head.

He looked so small in the bed. It made her want to climb in it with him and hold him close. She wanted to hear his breathing and not this stupid beeping that indicated he was. All she could do right now, was sit in the chair by the bed and lightly touch his hand. And when she did, it moved under her touch.

"Mommy's right here," she said, trying to fight back fresh tears. "I'm not going anywhere," she whispered, resting her arm on the bed rail as her chin landed on it. She was too busy watching her son that she didn't hear a nurse enter the room.

"Ms. Beckett?"

Kate kept her eyes on her son. "Why did he have to get surgery?" she quietly asked.

"A large piece of glass and the car were lodged into his head, behind his ear. When they got them out, he bled quite a lot, which indicated internal bleeding. The internal bleeding wasn't from the glass or piece of the car. It was more from his head hitting into something so hard. He also has a few cracked ribs that were probably due from slamming into his carseat. He's going to have to stay here for awhile, so we can keep an eye on him. I suggest you have someone bring you a change of clothes since I have a feeling you're not leaving anytime soon," the nurse, Jamie, said with a sympathetic smile.

"Is it okay if other people come in the room?" Kate asked because she didn't want to be completely alone.

"Four people are allowed in at a time," Jamie answered.

"The lady downstairs said only family…"

"That's only in the ER. Seeing that your son is stable, other people are allowed in here. Would you like me to find you a cot to sleep on tonight?"

"Yes. Yes, please," Kate nodded as she watched the young nurse walk out of the room. She had to pry herself away from her son to go and get Rick, Alexis, and Esposito. When she was walking toward the waiting room, she pulled out her cellphone and called her dad. She had to calm him down before she explained everything.

Alexis was the first one out of the waiting room when Kate told everyone that they could come in. The toddler hesitantly walked into her friend's room. When she saw him on the bed, she frowned and walked over to him. "Is he okay?" she asked.

"He will be," Kate answered as she sat back down in the chair by the bed. She happily let Alexis climb onto her lap.

Rick walked behind Kate's chair and kissed the top of her head. He set his elbow on the back of the chair and rested his chin in his good hand. He felt like this was all his fault, but how could it be? It was a green light. The other guy must've ran the red one. He would have to ask Esposito if he could find out what happened. But not right now. Right now he needed to be near girlfriend. He needed to make sure she was going to be okay.

Twenty minutes went by until Jim was in the doorway. Esposito told Kate that he was going to go grab everyone something to eat and that he'd be right back. He nodded to Jim before walking out the door and down the hall.

Since Alexis was at a table, drawing, Kate flew off the chair and into her dad's arms. His pretty strong arms that were tightly around her helped make her feel more secure and at ease. And now that her dad was here, she wasn't afraid to let fresh tears fall while he was the one that held her.

"It's okay, Katie. He's okay," Jim tried to reassure her. He eventually pulled her away from him and looked at her. "He's okay."

Kate nodded then looked back at her son. She was about to ask Rick if he wanted to go find a vending machine together until she saw her son's eyes move. She rushed back into the chair by his bed and watched him.

Noah's eyes slowly flickered open. They stayed locked on a spot directly in front of him. It was his mom's voice that made his head turn to his right. He tried to get up and go to her, but the pain that went through him made him stay down and scream bloody murder.

Nurses rushed into the room just as Kate climbed into the bed with her son. She laid on her side and gently draped her arm over his body. Her touch made his screams turn into painful whimpers.

"Shh," she whispered with her lips against the top of his head. "I'm right here."

Noah ended up calming down and closing his eyes again because the nurse increased the pain medication, making him tired. When he was asleep, Kate looked up at Rick who was now holding his daughter.

"Owwie?" Alexis asked and pointed to her little friend.

"He's in lots of pain," Rick answered, holding his daughter closer to him and kissing her forehead. "Lots."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I plan to update again either tomorrow or Sunday because I am on a roll with getting chapters done :D Thoughts?<strong>_


	14. Chapter 14

That night, Kate ended up sleeping in the hospital bed with Noah. She told Rick, when he came in with blankets from her apartment, that Noah wouldn't stay calm without her close by. It was partly true. She just wanted to be near her little boy and hold him. The monitors weren't enough for her to be calm about his breathing and heartbeat. She needed to see his chest steadily moving and hear the small breaths he made when asleep.

The second Rick left the room, she checked her watch to see what time it was. It read 11:38pm. She grabbed the folded up blanket at the foot of the bed and pulled it over herself and Noah. She gently tucked it under his sides before laying back down.

"Night, baby boy," she whispered as she kissed his nose. She heard a sigh-like sound escape his lips and she had to try not to cry from feeling like a horrible mother.

During the night, Noah woke up a few times, crying out from either nightmares or pain. The nurses believed that it was both, so they slightly raised the medication he was receiving through the IV.

When they left, Noah turned his head toward his mom. He let out painful whimpers as big tears started to flow out of his eyes.

"I'm right here, baby," Kate whispered as she carefully wiped his tears away. "You're okay now."

It took two hours for Noah to fall back asleep and when he did, Kate shortly followed.

…..

On the second day, Noah was more himself except he wasn't talking. Instead, he was making small noises like he did when he was younger. He would point to something and make a coo sound and right now he was pointing at the food on his tray.

Kate held a cup of red jello with one hand and a small spoon in the other. She got a small amount onto the spoon and brought it to Noah's mouth. He hesitantly opened because last time he took food from his mom, he thought it was disgusting and ended up spitting it out. But this time it was actually something he liked, so he swallowed it.

Now that her son was eating, Kate felt a huge wave of relief come over her. Yesterday, he wouldn't even take a sip of juice. She would let him feed himself, but every time he tried to reach or put his arms up, he cried because it hurt. She didn't mind feeding him. It was something she loved doing when he was younger; It made her feel more useful.

Kate was feeding Noah another spoonful of jello when Lanie came in the room with Esposito, Ryan and Liam.

Liam was energetic as always, but when he saw Noah in the hospital bed, hooked up to various machines, he went silent.

"How's it going?" Ryan and Esposito said at the same time, causing them both to laugh and do their fist pump.

"He's actually eating something," Kate said while she put the spoon in her son's mouth. "Is it possible for a car accident to make him regress?" she asked aloud.

"Not likely," Lanie answered. "Maybe if he becomes stressed."

"How will I know if he's stressed?"

"Phobias will come forth, sleep disturbances, withdrawals from either family or certain things, clinging, eating and speech problems and so on."

Kate frowned and looked at Noah. She gently ran her fingers through the waves at the top of his head. "I'll protect you," she whispered to herself.

Liam took this time to walk over to Kate. He kept looking between her and Noah, not sure what to think or do.

"You can come up here, buddy," Kate said, patting the spot next to her.

Liam hesitantly climbed onto the bed and sat by his friend's hand. He took his hat off, that was on backwards and gently put it on Noah's head. He leaned back and smiled. "Better," he said, which caused everyone to laugh at the adorableness. "Oh!" he exclaimed, taking out two figures from his coat pockets. "These are for you. Batman and The Joker," he said, placing Batman in Noah's hand. "He will make sure nothing bad happens."

Kate's eyes watered a little at how sweet Liam was being. She ended up pulling his head toward her and kissing the top of it. "Thank you, sweetie."

"You're welcome," Liam said with a smile before sliding off the bed. He ran over to his dad and took his coat off before handing it to him. "Can I have my DS?"

"Yeah," Ryan answered and opened the small Mario backpack he had in his hand. He retrieved the blue DSi and handed it to his son.

"Thanks," Liam said before running over to the hospital bed and climbing back on it. He sat directly next to Noah, so he could watch.

About ten minutes after they left, Rick and Alexis entered the room. They were both carrying a bag of McDonald's. Alexis was holding a Happy Meal and she headed right over to the table to eat it.

Rick pulled out a cheeseburger for Kate and handed it to her. "Thought you'd like to eat."

Kate eyed the wrapped up cheeseburger in her hand. She wasn't hungry. She hasn't been hungry in two days nor did she want to eat.

"Come on, Kate. You have to eat," Rick coaxed until she unwrapped the burger and bit into it.

"This is against my diet, but thank you."

"Like you need a diet?"

Kate rolled her eyes at him before looking back over at Noah who was intently watching the TV. She followed his gaze to find that he was watching Spongebob, one of his favorite shows.

"So how has he been doing?" Rick asked, sitting in the chair by the bed.

"Decent. He ate jello for me," Kate answered with her mouth full of food.

"When do you think he can go home?"

"Nurses think in a week or sooner because he's recovering quickly. He just doesn't talk…"

"Must be his way of coping," Rick guessed, biting into a french fry.

"Who knows," Kate frowned, looking at her son again. This time his eyes were on her. "You okay, buddy?"

Noah pointed to the fries Rick was holding and scrunched up his nose.

"Want one?" Rick asked as he set one in Noah's hand. He watched the boy bring it to his mouth and bite down on it. "He can have the rest," he said, handing the fries over to his girlfriend.

Alexis finished all she could of her meal and slid off the chair. She grabbed a book out of the bag her dad brought and climbed onto the bed next to Noah. She opened the cover and slowly flipped through the pages, so they could see the pictures.

Noah ended up falling asleep when Alexis made up stories to go along with the pictures because she couldn't read yet. When she was done, she looked up to find both Kate and her dad smiling at her.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"You're a good kid," Kate reached over and ruffled Alexis' bangs, creating small giggles.

…..

It was finally the day that Noah was released.

Kate was gathering everything they brought and packing it into two bags her dad let her borrow. She just finished putting Noah's toys into one bag when she heard small whimpers coming from behind her. She spun around to see her son at the edge of the bed, looking down like he was debating on trying to slide down or not.

"Hey," Kate said, walking over to him and bending down, so they were eye level with each other. "I know you want to leave, but you have to sit tight, okay? I still have to get you dressed," she kissed his forehead before going back to the bags.

When she finished, she grabbed Noah's clothes, diaper and wipes and brought them over to the hospital bed where she set them down. She untied his hospital gown and draped it over the bed rail.

"Can you put your arms up?" she questioned, not wanting to hurt him.

Noah hesitantly lifted his arms, hoping the pain near his stomach wouldn't come and when it didn't, he extended them so they were completely straight.

Kate pulled the black t-shirt with the Batman logo on it over his head and gently fished his arms through the sleeves. "Lay down, buddy," she said, watching her son slowly lay down. She quickly changed his diaper and slid his blue jeans on. When they were buttoned, she put his socks on followed by his dinosaur Vans. Next came his coat and hat. She was so scared she was going to hit his scar on his head, so she let him pull it down over his ears. "Ready?" she smiled.

Noah put his arms up to be held. Kate carefully placed her hands under his armpits and lifted him into her arms. "Perfect timing," she said when she saw Rick come through the door with Alexis.

Rick picked up the bags and smiled at Noah. "Ready, Chief?"

Once outside, Rick placed the bags in the trunk and helped Alexis into her carseat. Noah was busy watching the nurses wave to him since they escorted everyone out. When he turned toward the car and saw his mom opening the door, he did a high pitched scream and squirmed to get down.

Kate had to wrestle with her son, so she wouldn't drop him. Even after she thought she wasn't going to, he tried to climb up and over her shoulder, making her lose her grip. Luckily, Rick was by her side and he took Noah just as he was about to fall.

Noah was crying hysterically now. He was fighting to get away from the car, but nobody was doing what he wanted. He was gripping onto Rick's shirt as he tried to climb up him.

Kate ended up taking Noah into her arms again and away from the car. She sat on the bench outside the hospital and made him sit in her lap, facing her.

"We don't have to take the car," she said with a shaky voice. "We can take the subway, okay?" she questioned, trying to keep her anxiety from showing.

Noah clung onto his mom and laid his head on her shoulder. Small whimpers were escaping from him as he rubbed his eyes.

"Rick, we're going to take the subway," Kate said, getting off the bench. Since Rick was standing by the back door, checking to see what Alexis was doing every few seconds, she walked up to him. "Here," she handed him her extra key to the apartment. "Just in case you get there before me, okay?"

Rick nodded because he didn't know what to say. After hearing and seeing Noah react the way he did, his own nerves were on end.

"It's okay," Kate placed her gloved hand on his cheek.

He nodded before walking over to the driver's side and getting in the car. His hands were shaking when he started the engine. In fact, his hands were always shaking whenever he drove lately, but he ignored it. Maybe this was his own anxiety from the car accident. He shook his head to get those thoughts out of his mind and drove away.

Kate turned back toward the hospital to see worried stares from the nurses. "Do you know the quickest way to the subway?"

Nurse Jamie stepped forward and gave her directions.

When they were walking down the stairs to the subway train, Noah's head perked up from Kate's shoulder. He was very alert because he rarely road on the subway and when he did, it intrigued him so much.

Once they passed the gate and got onto the subway train, that pulled up within five minutes, Kate picked a seat furthest from the doors. She knew Noah probably wouldn't try to run right now, but she could never be too careful.

"You okay now, big guy?" she questioned when she sat Noah next to her.

Noah looked up at his mom with his big blue eyes. He gave her a giant smile and clapped. "Tain!"

"Yes, train," Kate smiled back and kissed his forehead. "You like the train, huh?"

"Tain fast."

"Super fast," she gently tickled his sides, creating giggles.

In that moment, the car accident was forgotten because she heard her son's adorable laughter, something she missed hearing while in the hospital. When she stopped tickling him and put her hands back on her lap, he eyed her like she was going to do it again. Instead, she pulled his hat off and ruffled his hair.

"What do you want to do when we get home besides take a bath?"

"Wheeler," Noah nodded super fast.

"Wheeler?" Kate cocked one of her eyebrows up in confusion.

"Drive fast!"

Kate pulled her phone out and texted Rick, asking what a wheeler was. Hopefully he would understand and be able to tell her. She hated not being able to comprehend what Noah was trying to tell her. And his small lisp didn't help much.

It took a few minutes, but she got a photo reply. She opened it to see two toddler quads, one was Dora and the other Toy Story.

"Did Rick buy you this?" Kate asked, holding her phone in front of Noah.

"Mine!"

"I guess so…" Kate furrowed her brow and pursed her lips. She wondered how much that must have cost. But it didn't bother her too much since she saw it more as a welcome home gift than a randomly bought toy. "You can ride it after you take a bath."

"No baf," Noah shook his head really fast, making his wavy hair fling side to side.

"Too bad," Kate smiled and held his head still to kiss his face. "You need a real bath."

Noah slid off the seat just as the subway stopped at the next stop and people started to pour in. "No baf!" he yelled, looking at his mom then eyeing the door.

"Noah, don't you dare," she said with narrowed eyes, but she was too late. He was already making his way through the people and to the open door.

Kate quickly got up, ignoring the stares she got from the new people entering the train. She nearly knocked over some guy who was too busy on his phone to see her. Her son was only a few inches from her. She reached down to grab his arm and when she got a good grip, she pulled him out of the crowd and back to their seat.

"No baf. No baf. No baf," Noah kept saying when he was placed back on the seat.

"You're not going to play on your little four wheeler now," Kate said, sitting down next to him.

"No nice!"

"You need to stop yelling," Kate said as she put her hand over his mouth. "Inside voices," she commanded and couldn't help but crack a smile when she could still hear his muffled voice. She slowly pulled her hand away from his mouth.

Noah stood up on the seat and placed one of his hands on his mom's shoulder. His other hand went over her mouth. "No lell," he said with the meanest voice he could conjure.

Kate smiled before licking his hand. The look of astonishment she received made her go into a laughing fit. It took her several long moments to recollect herself and when she did, she noticed that they weren't far from their stop.

"We will be home soon, buddy," she said, looking over at her son who was staring out the window. She placed her hand on his hip furthest from her. The last thing she wanted was for him to fall off the seat. And with the jerky movements the subway gave, it was highly likely he would. "And you are getting a bath," she said into his ear.

…..

The moment Kate walked into her apartment with Noah on her hip, Rick came over to greet them. He gently took Noah from her and helped get the boy out of his snow gear before letting him run off.

"I kind of didn't want him to go play yet," Kate said while taking her coat and shoes off.

"Why not? He's home. I bet he wants to play," Rick replied, a little taken aback by what she just said.

"I wanted to give him a bath first," she basically growled, already irritated.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Whatever," she replied, taking off to find Noah. When she entered the living room, Alexis was looking at the unorganized book shelf and Noah was trying to climb onto his Toy Story quad that was parked near the couch. "There's no room to ride it around in here, buddy."

"Drive fast," Noah smiled big and patted the seat.

"Ask your mommy if she will push the furniture back," Rick said as he walked over to his daughter and grabbed the book she was trying to get. He handed it to her and turned around to face Kate.

"Drive fast?" Noah questioned his mom.

"Okay, fine. But you are going to take a bath tonight, got it?"

"Drive fast," Noah cheered and clapped his hands together.

Rick and Kate both pushed the couch against the wall and the coffee table in front of the couch. When they were sure there was enough room, Rick bent down by Noah.

He lifted the boy up and set him on the quad. "This is how you ride it," he said, pressing down on the red button on the right side. It went forward a little and Noah's eyes went as wide as they could.

"Me do. Me do!" Noah shouted, pushing Rick's hand away from the button. He pressed it down with his thumb and went forward. It didn't take him long to figure out how to turn and when he did, he ended up going in a circle.

"Try going straight, buddy," Kate laughed, taking a seat on the arm of the couch.

It took a few attempts, but Noah was able to get the handles straight. As he was moving forward, he was trying to look at the wheels. This resulted him in crashing into the coffee table.

Alexis jumped really bad from the loud noise. She stood up on the couch, and ran into Kate's side. Kate looked down at the little girl and put her arm around her small body.

"It's okay," she said. "It was only Noah."

Rick helped Noah navigate away from the coffee table before sitting on the couch by his daughter. He patted the spot next to him, but she wanted to stay clung to Kate. He was starting to feel like both of the kids didn't like him anymore and it all had to do with the car accident.

The look on Rick's face was easy for Kate to read. Guilt. "Don't even think like that," she said to him, but only got a sad frown in return. "Go hug your daddy," she whispered into Alexis' ear. "He's scared too."

Alexis looked up at Kate then at her dad. She ran over to him, climbed in his lap, and hugged him. "It's okay, Daddy," she said before kissing his cheek.

"Thanks, Pumpkin," Rick replied, hugging his little girl tight. "I really needed a hug and yours are the best."

Kate smiled at the little moment the two of them were having before she looked back over to where her son was, but he wasn't in the spot he was just in. In fact he wasn't anywhere in the living room. She decided to get up and go down the hall to see if he made his way down there. And when she saw his little quad in her way, she knew he went into his room. Just as she was about to walk through his doorway, he came barreling into her legs.

The collision made him fall backwards and onto his butt. His bottom lip started to quiver, so she quickly scooped him into her arms. It wasn't until the loud wails escaped from him that the tears started to flow.

"You need to be careful," she said into his ear. "You're still pretty banged up, tough guy."

Alexis came running into the hall. When Noah's loud cries hit her, she placed her hands over her ears. "What happened?" she shouted above the wailing.

"He collided into my legs and fell down," Kate answered, walking out of the hall and into the living room with Alexis right behind her. She went into the kitchen and to the fridge. She opened the freezer and pulled out two popsicles from the box. Alexis happily took the popsicle and brought it over to her dad. And Kate unwrapped the other one in her hand and held it out to her son. "Here," she said as she kissed his forehead.

Noah stopped crying for a second to see what his mom was holding. He rubbed his eyes and nose with the back of his hand. Once he got a good hold on the popsicle, he took it and put it in his mouth. "Mm," he said with a small smile.

Kate brought him back into the living room. Rick pushed the coffee table away from the couch, so she would have enough space to get onto the cushion. When she sat down next to him, he turned toward Noah with a smile.

"Is it good?" he asked the toddler who was trying to bite the tip of the popsicle off.

Noah turned his head away from Rick with a grunt. He trained his eyes on Alexis who was looking at her Dora quad with her popsicle in her good hand. He got squirmy until his mom released him. When his feet touched the floor, he instantly ran over to Alexis.

"What doing?" he asked.

"How?" Alexis asked and pointed to the quad.

"Pess," Noah answered and went over to the red button. When he pressed down, it jolted forward a little, causing the two of them to giggle.

Kate smiled at the kids before looking over at Rick. He had sad eyes and if she wasn't mistaken, he was trying to fight back tears.

"What's up?" she asked, placing her hand on his knee.

"They are really afraid of me now, aren't they?" he nearly whispered the question.

"Can't blame them."

"That's not fair, Kate," he replied with a hint of anger.

"I mean, if you were in a little kid in a car accident, wouldn't you blame the driver? They don't completely understand road rules."

"So you're saying this is my fault?" he snarled before standing up. "You're blaming me for this!"

Kate bit down on her lip, trying to analyze what was going on in Rick's head, but nothing came to mind, so she stood up too. She placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side a little. "Did I say I was blaming you? No. But they might be doing that," she motioned her hand toward the kids.

"You are blaming me, Kate. I can hear it in your voice," Rick replied with a blank stare. "Come on, Alexis. We're leaving. We aren't wanted here," he murmured the last part.

Alexis came running over to her dad who was walking to the door. He quickly put her coat, hat, shoes, and gloves on.

"Rick…" Kate called out when he walked out the door and slammed it shut. She turned around to find her son watching with a look of confusion. If he wasn't in the room right now, she would probably be crying, but since he was, she simply took his hand and walked him to his room. "Let's take that bath now," she said, trying to fight back her tears.

"No sad, Mommy," Noah said when he looked up at her and saw the tear making it's way down her cheek.

Kate quickly wiped it away and bent down in front of her son. "I'm not sad, buddy."

He could still sense that she was upset, so he threw his arms around as much of her body as he could, and hugged her. "No sad."

"Thanks, baby," Kate replied as fresh tears escaped her eyes. She gently hugged him back, not wanting to hurt him, and kissed the top of his head. As much as her heart hurt from the way Rick walked out of the apartment like he never wanted to see her again, this small action of her son's made everything seem okay.

For now.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Tell me what you think? :D<strong>_


	15. Chapter 15

The bubbles in the water were over the middle of the tub, so Kate quickly reached down and turned the faucet off. She rolled up her long sleeves a little past her elbows and turned around.

Noah was crawling around on the floor in his diaper. He kept pushing his toy boat along the tiles until he got to the tub. He got himself on his knees and looked at the bubbles. His excitement got the best of him and he tried to climb over the edge.

"You can't go in there with a diaper on, silly," Kate said with a laugh.

She got on her knees next to him and turned him to face her. She took his diaper off while he was standing, rolled it up, and set it on the floor. She lifted him up by his armpits and his feet started to kick like crazy when he was over the water. She slowly lowered him into the tub just in case it was too warm. His kicking feet caused a few splashes, but he stopped once he was fully submerged.

Noah crawled around in the tub, squealing with joy. He might hate being washed, but he loved being naked. He took a moment to look over at his mom who was now sitting on her stool. His slippery hands got a good grip on the edge and he pulled himself on his feet.

"Noah, sit," Kate commanded. "There might be a rubber lining, but you fell last time, remember?"

The smile that her little boy gave her warmed her heart. He looked so happy and it was all due to freaking bath bubbles. It was crazy how something so simple brought high levels of happiness.

She watched him take his toy turtle off the shelf that usually held her razors, but she always took them out before giving him a bath. One day when she forgot to, he got a hold of it and she almost had a heart attack. Luckily, he didn't find much interest and dropped it outside of the tub like he wanted to throw it away. And now he was dunking the rubber turtle under the water and watching it bounce back up. His amused giggles were hard not to smile and laugh at. The way his mind worked was fascinating.

Before he got too entranced in his bath toys, Kate picked up the cup off the ledge and turned the faucet back on. Using water with bubbles to wet his hair and rinse out shampoo usually didn't work out too well.

"Head back," she said already pushing her son's hair from his forehead. She used her hand as a wall to keep the water from running into his eyes. Tear free or not, it still bothered him. She quickly got his hair soaked with four cups of water before turning the faucet off and grabbing the shampoo. "Wanna do it?" she asked when she squirted some on his head.

Noah lifted his arms up and placed his hands on his head. They slowly moved to the cool shampoo and only spread to the sides. He got bored of this pretty fast and continued to play with his toys.

Kate lathered the shampoo in his hair until every inch had white suds. She ended up playing it and creating a few spikes. Since he hair was longer wet, it looked really funny. She rinsed her hands in the water and dried them off with the towel. Her phone was still in her pocket, so she pulled it out and centered her son on the camera screen.

"Smile," she said. He stuck his tongue out, so it was against his upper lip and looked at her phone. She snapped the photo and was about to send it to Rick, but paused. He was probably still upset with her, even though she didn't really do anything wrong, or did she? She sighed and set her phone on the floor before grabbing the cup to rinse her son's hair.

Once she was finished, she let him play some more. She took this time to pick her phone up and open up her messages. She clicked on Rick's name and read all the texts he usually sent her when he was feeling adorable. Calling him right now might make him more upset, but she needed to talk to him. Needed to make sure he was okay because it wasn't like him to react that way.

Just when she was about to call him, a ton of water dropped on her lap. She looked up to see Noah holding the cup upside down and over her legs. The sly smile he was giving her made it hard to be mad, but she had to make sure he knew not to do it again.

"Water stays in the tub," she said, snatching the cup from him and creating a frown in the process. "If the water doesn't stay in the tub then you go right to bed."

Noah's eyes widened before he picked up his toy turtle and handed it to his mom. "Dat," he smiled and clapped.

"It's a turtle," Kate said, dunking the toy in the water and squeezing it, so it would fill up. When she was done, she handed it back to him.

He pointed the turtle at the letters along the shower wall and squeezed it, so the water would squirt out. He ended up getting overly excited and splashing everywhere causing his mom to shut the shower curtain a little. When there was no more water to squeeze out, he turned back around to see the colorful curtain. He got ahold of it and pulled it back.

"Boo," Kate said with a smile and got one in return.

After letting him play for ten more minutes, she put her hand in the water that had very few bubbles and found that it was lukewarm. She decided to grab the blue washcloth and soap. After she had soap throughout the cloth, she had her son stand up. Once she was done cleaning and rinsing his body, she let him play for a few more minutes before the water got too cold.

"Time to get out," she said, pulling the plug, so the water could drain.

"Aw done," Noah said as he stood up. The hood of his towel was placed over his head before he was lifted out.

"Let's go get dressed and get a snack before bed."

"Lessis," he said, leaning his head back to see his mom's face.

"We will see Alexis some other time, okay?"

"Lessis!"

"Come on," Kate shifted him onto her other hip and carried him out of the bathroom. She entered her bedroom to find Rick's Green Lantern hoodie still on her bed. Sleep was going to be impossible tonight, wasn't it?

…..

The sound of distant screams stirred Rick out of his sleep. He looked over at his alarm clock to find that he was only out for a good hour. He rubbed his eyes and let his hand rest over his face.

Why was someone screaming?

He lifted the sides of his pillow up to cover his ears, but he could still hear it. Then it finally struck him. Those were his daughter's screams.

It took him less than ten seconds to run out of his room, up the stairs, and into his daughters' room. He stood in the doorway with his hand on the frame and a little bent over, trying to catch his breath.

Alexis was curled up on her bed closest to the wall. She had her blanket pulled up to her face, wet with tears. Her cries quietened when she saw her dad.

"Hey," Rick said as he walked over to her. When he sat down on the bed, his daughter flung herself into his arms. "It's okay, Pumpkin. It was just a bad dream."

"Go to Kate's?" Alexis' question was muffled because her face was in her dad's shirt.

"Uh, not right now. It's really late," he replied, neglecting to say that they are having a small fight.

"She's a cop."

"You want her to help me protect you from the nightmares, huh?"

Alexis nodded and looked up at her dad. She wiped the tears off her cheeks as she forced a smile.

"How about we talk to her later? It's three in the morning and I have a feeling she's asleep."

"Okay," Alexis pouted.

Rick picked his daughter up along with her favorite blanket. He headed out of her room and down the stairs. When he entered the master bedroom, he set her on the bed. Watching her crawl to the middle and climb under the covers made him smile.

"Now if you have another nightmare, you don't have to be scared 'cause I'm right here," he said as he climbed under the blankets. He pulled his daughter closer to him and draped her blanket over her. "Night, Pumpkin."

"Nigh-nigh, Daddy," she yawned before cuddling up to his chest.

It didn't take as long for Rick to fall asleep this time. It was most likely due to the fact that someone else was in the bed with him.

Severals hours passed until Alexis was woken up because she heard her dad talking in his sleep. She rubbed her eyes before standing on the bed. Her head went to the side a little when she saw him thrashing around.

He was having a nightmare too.

"Daddy!" she screamed to attempt to wake him up.

Rick jolted upright, sweaty and out of breath. He ran his hands over his face and lightly pinched himself to make sure he was actually awake. When he was done regaining his composure, he dropped his hands into his lap and looked over at Alexis.

"Bad dream?" she asked, climbing into his lap to hug him.

"I'm alright now, Pumpkin," he replied, pulling her closer to him. His heart was still racing and his breathing wasn't exactly back to normal, but he was okay.

"Owwie," Alexis whined and looked down at her cast that was pressed against her dad.

"Let's take some Tylenol. It might help with the pain."

"Can we see Noah?"

"Not today. We're going to go to the aquarium. How does that sound?"

"See the fishies!"

"Yes, we can go see the fish."

Alexis clapped with joy and bounced while sitting. "Go now?"

"Let's get something to eat and dressed then we can go when it opens."

Alexis got off her dad's lap and slid off the bed. She ran out of the room and to the kitchen.

Rick put his face in his hands and sighed. Having his daughter this close to Kate was somewhat of a bad idea. It's not like they broke up, but he just needed some time to think and get over this car accident that seemed to be haunting him even in his sleep. And with the nightmare he just woke up to, it wasn't just him and the kids. Kate was in the passenger side and her injuries almost killed her.

He wasn't guilty. Esposito told him that the guy that crashed into his car was texting at the time. And that the man would be in jail for awhile.

That was kind of a relief, but it didn't help soothe the psychological scars everyone now had.

…..

The next two days dragged on. Kate had a hard time focusing at work because she was worried about Rick. And the whole not talking was starting to bother her. She just finished signing the report at hand before Ryan came over.

"Your suspect's in the interrogation room. He made the uniforms do a short chase, but they got him."

"Looks like we may have caught the killer," Kate replied, closing the victim's folder as she stood up.

"We found the knife used in his apartment too."

"First idiot we've had in awhile."

Ryan laughed and followed her over to the interrogation room. He didn't feel like going in, so he went through the observation door instead. Watching the intensity Kate used with suspects was highly entertaining.

Esposito looked up when he heard the elevator doors open. When he saw who walked into the bullpen, he set his pen down.

Rick made his way over to Kate's desk to find it empty.

"She's interrogating a suspect," Esposito said, making Rick's head snap in his direction.

"Oh. Will she be long?" Rick asked, directing his eyes to the floor.

"Depends on how quickly he confesses or gives an alibi. Why? What's up?"

Rick walked over to Esposito's desk and stood next to it. "Does she blame me for the car accident?" he asked as he shoved his hands in his coat pocket.

"Nah, bro. She wouldn't do that," Esposito answered as he relaxed in his chair.

"I'm trying to figure out why she said some things a couple days ago. It felt like she blamed me."

"I'll tell you one thing. Noah is her world. If anything bad happens to him, she puts all the blame on herself for not protecting him."

"She shouldn't do that…"

"But she can't help it."

"Was she always blaming herself for things before he was born?"

"I don't really know because she isn't exactly open, but she has changed a lot since he was."

"What do you mean by changed?" Rick questioned as he took a seat on the corner of the desk.

"She was so fierce, hard to read, mad at the world, and the way she treated next of kin was different. Yeah, she could connect and show sympathy because she herself understood, but not like she can now. She has a whole new perspective when parents lose their kids. And she is still aggressive with suspects and headstrong, but Noah softened her up. He's the light in this gloomy world. He's also the main reason she stopped looking into her mother's murder. We have more fun while working now," Esposito smiled with a small nod.

Rick smiled and nodded. He could see how Noah did that for her. Made it easy for her to move on because she focused her attention on his well-being. It made sense now.

"So you're saying she was tougher?" he curiously asked.

"She still is tough. I wouldn't want to mess with her. She's just more open and happier. It's nice."

"Maybe I was too harsh the other night…"

"Just apologize. It goes a long way with the ladies," Esposito gave him a smirk.

"That's why I'm here," Rick smiled and looked toward the interrogation rooms. "Can I watch her?"

"Sure," Esposito answered as he got out of his chair. He lead Rick down to the observation room and opened the door.

"This is so cool," Rick said in awe over the medium sized room. He looked through the two-way mirror to see his girlfriend slowly walking around the table, practically yelling at the man. "Wow."

"This dirtbag keeps trying to tell lies, but Beckett keeps nailing him," Ryan laughed. "What's up Castle?"

"She's good at telling when people lie?" Rick asked as he stepped closer to the mirror.

Ryan and Esposito glanced at each other and smiled.

"You will never be able to lie again," Ryan said.

"I don't lie. I just… avoid telling the full story," Rick replied as he watched Kate slam her hands on the desk and lean toward the suspect. If he were that guy, he would have confessed even if he didn't kill anyone just to get her to stop. She was highly intimidating and fearful. "Do you have a pen?" he asked Esposito who handed him one. He pulled out his notepad from his back pocket and jotted down a few ideas. This place made him get so many, but he was still on his last book of the Derrick Storm series.

"What are you writing?" Ryan asked, taking a step closer.

"An idea for a book."

"You always carry a notepad around?"

"You never know when inspiration might strike you. I had some hit me once when I was waiting in line for coffee."

"Huh," Ryan looked at what Rick wrote down. "What's 'writer fol. fem. det. around' mean?"

"Writer follows female detective around. It's just a thought…"

"Interesting," Esposito nodded.

"I probably won't use it, but there's still a possibility," Rick said to both of them.

"Look," Ryan pointed at Kate.

She was sliding the confession slip in front of the suspect who picked up the pen and hesitantly signed it. When he was done, he put the pen down and covered his face with his hands, crying.

"Case solved," Esposito and Ryan did their fist bump.

Rick watched Kate exit the interrogation room. He inhaled sharply, trying to get the courage to talk to her after seeing her interrogate someone. He quickly walked out of the observation room and looked around the bullpen to find her at her desk.

Ryan and Esposito walked into the interrogation room to cuff the murderer. He watched them for a second before heading over to Kate's desk. As he sat down in the chair next to her, he saw her bite down on her lip.

"Hey," he said with a smile.

Kate stopped what she was doing and turned toward Rick. She kept her eyes on him and gave him a half smile. "Hey."

"Listen," they both said at the same time and laughed.

"You first," Kate said.

"I'm sorry for overreacting the other night. I don't know where it came from. This whole car accident thing is getting to me, awake and asleep," Rick said. "I know you don't blame me… at least I hope you don't."

"I don't blame you. It's just Noah's life was threatened and I got a little hostile toward you when I shouldn't have."

"He's your world," Rick placed his hand on hers and smiled when she held his. "How's he doing?"

"He's been sleeping in my bed because of nightmares. He wakes up crying and drenched in sweat or he screams in his sleep. Last night was the only night he slept for six hours straight before anything happened. I think the nightmares are slowly coming to a standstill. How are you and Alexis doing?"

"Alexis has nightmares here and there," Rick answered with a slight shrug, looking off in the distance.

"And you?"

"I have nightmares. Usually worse things happen in them than they actually did. You keep appearing in them… I don't like it. I wish they would stop."

Kate squeezed his hand a little. "Does someone need a cuddle buddy?" she teased.

"Yes."

"I wasn't being serious."

"I am," Rick gave her a charming smile.

Kate bit down on her lip. The way he always made her stomach fill with butterflies was crazy. This has never happened with a guy she's been with.

"This weekend. I have to work tomorrow," she said.

"I can always come to your place."

"What about Alexis?"

"Either my mom can watch her or she can come too?"

"I think Noah would like that. He keeps asking about her."

"She keeps asking about him too," Rick laughed and shook his head. It was funny how much the kids liked each other.

"I'll call you when I get out of work."

"See you, Detective Heat," Rick said as he kissed her cheek, afraid to kiss her on the mouth while she's at work.

"Detective Heat?" Kate rose an eyebrow as he walked away, laughing. "Richard, you will tell me what the hell you're talking about later!" she yelled out to him, trying not to crack a smile because of the way he was laughing. It was cute.

God. The things this man was doing to her. He brings out a totally different Katherine Beckett. And it's one she doesn't mind letting out.

…..

Kate opened the apartment door to let Rick and Alexis in. Alexis was already in her Tinkerbell footy pajamas and she was clutching a stuffed monkey.

"Hey, cutie," Kate said, gently touching the top of Alexis' head to find that her hair was damp. "You look comfy."

"She had a bath not too long before we came here. I decided to just put her in her PJs then," Rick replied as he carried in two bags and a pillow.

Alexis already had her coat unzipped when Kate decided to help the girl out. She hung the coat on the coat rack and walked with Alexis into the living room.

Noah was standing near the coffee table, one car in each hand. He was holding them at arms length away from each other before making them crash. His tongue was against his upper lip and his brow was furrowed. He was concentrating really hard.

"What's he doing?" Rick asked when he came into the room.

"Not sure…" Kate answered, tilting her head to the side to observe her son. "I've never seen him do that with his cars before."

"What's that?" Alexis asked as she knelt down by Noah.

Noah quickly scooted down the table for more room to crash his cars. Alexis looked up at her dad because she thought she did something wrong.

Kate decided to squat down by her son. "Hey. Let's not play with these for now," she said, reaching out to take the toy cars.

Noah pulled his hands away from his mom's with a scream.

"Noah, that's enough," Kate said, taking the cars out of his tight grasp, which created more screaming and now crying.

Rick watched as Kate tried to pick her son up, but was getting pushed back. He glanced at his daughter who had wide eyes at what was at hand. His were probably just as wide.

"Hey. You're okay. There's no need to scream or cry," Kate said with a surprisingly calm voice. "Look. Alexis is here to play," she glanced over at the girl with a smile. Noah turned his head to Alexis, still crying. He rubbed his eyes before looking back at his mom. "There's nothing to be upset about."

Alexis climbed onto the couch, getting Noah's attention. He watched her for a few seconds then slowly stood up. He ended up running into his mom's arms.

"I wish I knew what just happened in your little head," Kate said as she hugged him. She kissed the top of his hair as he pulled away and joined Alexis on the couch.

Alexis gave Noah a hug, which made him giggle.

"Now that's cute," Rick nodded with a big smile.

"Indeed it is," Kate said in awe. "I'm going to make myself a cup of tea. Want any?" she asked as she stood back up.

"Sure," Rick answered, following her into the kitchen. He watched her grab the mugs out of the cupboard. "Do you think he has PTSD?" he asked, making it sound more like a question he was asking himself.

"What? No. Isn't he too young?"

"I don't think there's an age limit. But the way he was concentrated on crashing cars and the tantrum he gave when you broke that concentration…"

"Is that a symptom?" Kate asked as she turned the stove on to heat the water in the teapot.

"Yeah. He was replaying the traumatic event with his toys."

"We don't know that," Kate growled.

"Hey, I'm not trying to get you worked up and say something's wrong with him, but it wouldn't hurt to get him checked out, right? Actually, I think all three of us should be."

"Fine. I'll call someone tomorrow. Until then, tell me where Detective Heat came from."

Rick let out a loud laugh and had to cover his mouth because he felt embarrassed for allowing it to escape. "No," he chuckled.

"Rick, I swear to god."

"It's just an idea."

"This isn't some weird role-play thing, is it?"

"That depends. Are you into role-play?" Rick asked, taking a few steps closer to Kate, backing her into the counter.

"Knock it off," Kate playfully shoved him back. "There are kids in my view. Besides, I still feel a little odd about how fast we did things before."

"Don't feel odd. You wanted it just as bad as I did."

"Shut up."

"You're blushing," Rick pointed out the light shade of red that was now covering her face.

"Okay. Whatever. I did want to, but I feel like we should have waited longer. I wasn't thinking."

"Stop overanalyzing things!"

"Tell me who Detective Heat is and maybe I will."

"Ugh," Rick ran his hands down his face. "You just won't let this go, will you?" he questioned as he looked through his fingers.

"Tell me, Richard."

"It's a character name I came up with while watching you in the interrogation room. I might base a book off you? Maybe?"

"Maybe?"

"I would need hands on research in the field of detecting."

"Field of detecting? Really?" Kate folded her arms across her chest as she pursed her lips.

"Let's just dismiss this. Besides, the water is warm enough. It's starting to whistle," Rick pointed to the teapot that was blowing out steam with light whistles.

Kate turned the stove off and picked up the teapot. She poured the hot water in each glass and dropped the teabags in after.

Rick turned around to see what the kids were doing. They were standing on the coffee table and jumping onto the couch. He smiled and started to turn back around until he realized that they were actually doing that.

"Hey!" he yelled, making Kate jump and turn around.

When she saw her son and Alexis both standing on the coffee, she stopped stirring the tea and practically ran over to them. She grabbed her son just as he was about to jump.

"Timeout for you," she said as she carried him over to the beanbag chair near the bookcase and set him down. "That's a no-no."

"You too, Alexis," Rick said as he picked his daughter up and off the table. He sat her in the rocking chair, so she wasn't near Noah.

"Who do you think thought of the idea?" Kate asked when her and Rick both walked back into the kitchen. They both ignored the protests the kids were now making.

"Not sure. Alexis did it once when she was younger, but after that one timeout, she never did it again."

"We have two little rascals to keep a close eye on," Kate said, lifting up her tea and leaning against the counter.

"That we do," Rick replied. "Detective Heat," he murmured with a smirk.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: Thoughts? :D<em>**


	16. Chapter 16

"Castle, move over," Kate grunted as she tried to push Rick back on his side. He was a cuddler while asleep, but right now she needed her space to sprawl out.

"Mm nice," Rick mumbled, waving his hand in the air.

Since Kate wasn't getting her way with words, she roughly grabbed onto his ear and jerked it up. She had to place her other hand over his mouth to silence his yelps. If he woke up the kids, he would be put on the pullout bed with them.

"I'm up. What's wrong?" Rick questioned as he sat himself against the headboard.

"You're hogging the bed."

"You hurt my ear because I'm hogging the bed?"

"You wouldn't move!" she shot back with a glare.

Rick itched his head and looked over at her. "Then scream in my ear. Don't pull it because that…" he turned his head in the other direction.

"Because that what?"

"Do you hear that?"

Kate gave up on going back to sleep and sat up. She tried to listen for the noise that Rick supposedly heard, but the only thing she could hear was the heater.

"Sounds like there's something under the bed…"

"You sound scared."

Rick ignored her and moved to the edge of the bed. When he looked over, he saw Noah staring at him.

"Jesus!" he jumped back, causing the boy to cry hysterically.

Hearing her son's cries made Kate crawl over to the other side of the bed. "Come here, buddy," she said and held her hands out. Once Noah was close enough, she lifted him onto the bed and brought him to the middle. "Another nightmare?"

"No seep," Noah shook his head and stood up on the bed.

"Yes, sleep," Rick said once he regained his composure.

"No," Noah whined and stood closer to his mom, still frightened from Rick's outburst.

"You can sleep in here if you make Rick stay on his side of the bed," said Kate as she got her son to sit.

Noah furrowed his brow at Rick and used both of his hands to point. "Ick, stay."

"Yup. Rick, stay," Kate repeated and kissed the top of his head. "Or else he has to go sleep in the living room."

"Speaking of living room. What if Alexis wakes up?" questioned Rick.

"Go turn on the hall light. I'm with child," Kate persuaded as she tightly wrapped her arms around Noah.

"Fine," Rick huffed before sliding off the mattress. He was tempted to bring the blanket with him because it was cold. And being in just a shirt and boxers didn't help.

He opened the already cracked door and headed into the hall. When he flipped the light switch, he let out a high pitched scream.

Alexis was standing at the end of the hall, clutching her stuffed monkey and covering her eyes from the bright light.

"My apartment is not haunted, Rick. Stop screaming like a little girl," Kate said from the bedroom.

"Why are the kids scaring me tonight?"

"Noah gone," Alexis yawned and walked over to her dad.

Rick ended up picking her up and carrying her into the bedroom. "One more kid coming through," he said while he set Alexis on the bed. "Looks like you don't get your space tonight, Kate."

"Shut up," Kate mumbled and watched Alexis debate where to lay down. The girl eventually decided to lay next to Noah.

Since there wasn't a ton of space left on the bed, it was like everyone dog piled onto each other. And how the kids fell asleep the way they did was beyond both Rick and Kate.

Noah's head was on Kate's chest and the rest of his body was diagonal. His legs were across Alexis' stomach and his feet were barely hanging off her side. Alexis was also diagonal and Kate could feel the girl's feet against her thigh. And every so often there would be a small amount of pressure from Alexis trying to squirm.

"This is ridiculous," Kate whispered as she tried to get comfortable.

"Tell me about it," Rick mumbled. "I have a small elbow pushing into my spleen. And if I scoot over anymore, I'll be on the floor."

"I have a feeling that I'm not going to sleep at all. At least like this."

"Just close your eyes. I was about to fall asleep until you said something."

"Tell me a story," she yawned as she lightly ran her fingers through her son's hair. She wished her hair was this soft.

"Okay," Rick stared up at the ceiling, trying to think of a short story to tell. "Sarah was a tough woman from New York," he began. "She worked long hours at the law firm she belonged to. But those long hours started to take a toll on her overall happiness. It wasn't until she met a man, named Mike, at her favorite coffee shop did she realize she wasn't happy with her life. He changed her perspectives. Her outlook on who she really wanted to be. They ended up meeting for coffee every morning for the next few months. They told each other things they never even thought about telling another soul," he paused when he heard Kate's happy exhale and continued. "One day, when Sarah walked into the coffee shop, Mike was in his usual seat. The speech he practiced in front of the mirror the night before evaporated when he saw her. But the three words he wanted to say the most made their way out. He told Sarah how much he loved her and wanted to be with her. Sarah, being the type to avoid situations like this took a huge leap and repeated his words. The end."

"Huh," Kate sighed with a smile. "Different than what you write in your books."

"You don't like it."

"I like it. I wish I could reach over and kiss you because I feel like you just described meeting me, but in a different way."

"Kind of."

Kate shifted herself, so she could get her hand free and find Rick's arm. When she trailed her fingers down to his hand, their fingers laced together. "I love you," she whispered with a smile.

"I love you too, Kate. We should sleep though."

"Trying, but you keep talking."

"I can never win with you."

"Night, Ricky."

"God, I hate when you do that when there's kids in the room."

Kate let out a small laugh and closed her eyes. Man, he was easy.

…..

She felt a lot of pressure jabbing at her side. So much pressure that it started to hurt.

Kate opened her eyes and looked down to see what the source was - Noah. He was trying to push her.

"Buddy, stop," she mumbled and tossed her head back on the pillow.

"Off," Noah whimpered, which made her sit up to see what he was trying to get.

Noah smiled when he could see his pacifier. He reached for the hook and grabbed onto it. Once he put it in his mouth, he looked up at his mom who was giving him a confused look. He gave her a tired smirk and laid his head in her lap.

"Seep, Mommy. Seep."

"Yes, baby. Sleep," she gently ran her hand through his hair. She angled her head, so she could watch him fall back asleep.

The way he would let his eyes close for a few seconds and shoot them open was cute. He didn't really want to sleep, but he knew if it was still dark that he was supposed to. Her smart little boy.

Who was having problems coping with the car accident.

She sighed and gently slid him toward her, so she could wrap her arms around his body. And he seemed to like this better because he snuggled his head under her chin, his silent way of saying good idea.

It felt like she just fell back asleep when she felt weight get off the bed. The sound of Rick's heavy footsteps trailed out of her room and then there were softer sounding ones.

Alexis must have woke up.

Kate lifted her arm up to check the time. It was a little past six in the morning and her son was still asleep. Odd.

But then again, it wasn't strange because he has been having a hard time staying asleep since the accident. And if she wasn't mistaken, so has Alexis.

Looks like Rick was right. She needed to bring him to see a psychologist even though she didn't want to admit that something might be wrong. Just like she fought her dad when he made her see someone after her mother's murder. She didn't want to admit there might be something wrong with herself. In the end, it worked out, but man did she hate going. Definitely when the questions got more personal. Answers that she repressed and had to let out for her recovery. It was tough, but she was okay now. That's all that mattered.

She looked down at Noah to see he was actually awake. He was toying with the end of her sleeve, his pacifier moving every so often like he was biting down on it. She placed her hand on the side of his head.

"You're so quiet."

Noah pressed the hook of his pacifier under his nose until he was sure it would stay. "Seep, Mommy."

"I'm awake now, baby. Do you want something to eat?"

"Seep," he gently patted her stomach, afraid he might hurt her.

"I'm not tired anymore," Kate brushed his hair from his forehead and planted a wet kiss on it. "You're being very thoughtful though."

"Tied?"

"No. I'm not tired."

Noah made himself lay on his back and looked over at the empty space. "Gone."

"I think they went to go eat. Why don't we join them?"

"Bad guys?"

"I have to try and catch bad guys today, yes."

The smile that curved the corners of lips, still hidden by the pacifier, made her heart melt. He loved the idea of her catching bad guys because it made him think of superheroes. To him, she was a superhero. She even heard him say it when he was playing with his toys by himself. But when she tried to get him to say it to her, he wouldn't.

It was Alexis' giggling from the hall that made Noah sit up. He crawled to the edge of the bed and slid off. Kate took this as her cue to get up herself and follow him.

When she entered the hall, she could already smell the bacon.

"You're up!" Alexis exclaimed when she saw Noah in front of Kate.

"I have to get ready for work soon, kiddo," Kate smiled and smooth the girl's hair down. "I'm going to get dressed then I'll eat with you guys, okay?"

"Okay," Alexis nodded and watched Kate go back into the bedroom. She brought her gaze onto Noah who was playing with the hook on his pacifier. "Diapie!"

Noah gave her a confused look and watched her run into his room. She returned with a diaper in one hand and a package of wipes in the other.

"Mine," he tried to take the diaper, but couldn't reach when she held it above her head and ran to the kitchen.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Alexis shouted even though she was right next to him.

"What?" Rick questioned and looked down, licking his thumb in the process. "Does Noah need to be changed?"

"Kate's getting ready for work."

"Alright. I'll change him in a second."

"I do it?"

"I don't think so, Pumpkin."

"Why?"

"You're too little. Besides, it's almost time to eat. I'll do it in a second."

"Fine," Alexis dropped the stuff on the floor and walked out of the kitchen. She saw Noah stacking his toy blocks on the coffee table and decided to help.

With the two of them, they got the table completely covered with blocks stacked at least seven high. And now that they were on the last block, they were both afraid to place it somewhere because they didn't want to mess up their masterpiece.

"You do it," Alexis said, handing Noah the block.

"Lessis," Noah replied and held it out to her.

Alexis took the block back and sighed. She walked around the table a few times, trying to find the perfect spot for it. When she saw one towards the front, she came to a hault. She was glad Noah was watching from a distance or else she probably would have made all the blocks fall like dominoes.

Noah hopped up and down and clapped when she placed the final block on their work. "Did it. Did it."

"Daddy, look!" Alexis shouted to get her dad's attention.

Rick turned around and a look of astonishment came across him. The kids did this all under ten minutes? Unbelievable.

His eyes fell on Kate who was making her way out of the hall. "Do you see what they did in less than ten minutes?" he asked and pointed to the coffee table.

Kate walked over to see why her boyfriend had an amazed look on his face. When she saw all the stacked blocks that made her think of buildings, her eyes widened.

"You guys did this?" she asked, looking down at Noah and Alexis.

"Yep," Alexis proudly nodded.

"Good job," Kate held out her hand and received a light high five. "Noah, let's get you changed now."

Noah ran in the opposite direction and returned with one of his dinosaurs. Kate knew what her son's intentions were, so she rounded the table and scooped him into her arms.

"Close one," said Rick as he walked into the living room. "Let's leave the town destruction for after breakfast."

…..

It was impossible to get Noah to eat one thing off his plate. All he wanted was the juice in his sippy cup and to get down. Kate even attempted to try and feed him herself, but it didn't work.

"You have to eat something," Rick said as he inserted a fork full of scrambled eggs into his mouth. "You can't go to the museum with Alexis if you don't."

Noah looked at Rick then back at his mom. Kate took this moment to try and feed him some of his own scrambled eggs. But when the fork was right in front of his mouth, he pushed it away, making it clatter to the floor.

"Noah, you have to eat. You can't go to the museum with Rick and Alexis if you don't eat."

"See dinosaurs," Alexis said with a smile and a nod.

"No hungie," Noah shook his head and clutched his sippy cup closer to his chest like it was his lifeline.

"Hm," Kate pushed his hair away from his eyes and felt his forehead. "He's not warm."

"Maybe it's the lack of sleep?" Rick asked as he studied the boy.

Kate rested her elbow on the table and let her chin lay in her hand. Her son was acting strange lately. Hardly sleeping or eating, being destructive with all of his toys, which is something extremely new. He's always the one to yell at other boys who do what he's been doing because they might break them.

Maybe he did have PTSD, even though she thought kids this young couldn't get it. But what does she know? She's not a psychologist. She can't figure out what's going on in his head by simply watching him.

She let out a loud sigh, which got her a sympathetic look from Rick. She shrugged at him and got out of her chair. "Finish your breakfast," she said, kissing the top of Noah's head. "I'll be right back and then I have to go to work."

"Bad guys," Noah nodded, letting his chin hit the top of his sippy cup.

"Daddy, how come you don't catch bad guys?" Alexis asked as she watched Kate walk into the hall.

"I like to write about bad guys. I'd probably be really bad at catching them. I can't run like Kate."

"You look goofy when you run," Alexis giggled.

Rick leaned over and kissed her forehead before putting his eyes on Noah. "Eat, big guy. Dinosaurs eat."

"Leafs," Noah added with a glare because he thought Rick would know that.

"Only herbivores eat plants. Some eat other dinosaurs!"

"No nice."

"Not nice," Alexis agreed before taking a sip of her orange juice.

"Dinosaurs don't know that. They think it's okay. Maybe if you eat your breakfast, we can go to the museum and tell them that it's bad," Rick said, eyebrows raised at Noah.

Noah looked at the food on his plate, contemplating whether to eat or not. He lifted his head back up to Rick and shook his head.

"Do you want something else?"

"Down," Noah whined, peeling one of his hands from around his sippy cup to reach for the floor.

"That's up to Mommy."

"It's not nice that dinosaurs eat other dinosaurs," Alexis said to Kate when she was back at the table.

"No, it's not. But this little dinosaur-" Kate lightly tickled Noah's sides, creating small laughs. "-needs to eat."

Rick scooted his chair back and stood up. He walked over to the fridge and opened it. He grabbed the box of strawberries and returned to the table with them. A small smile curved across his mouth when he saw Noah's eyes light up.

"Here," Rick said as he opened the box. He took the leaves off the strawberry before handing it over to Noah.

Noah kept his sippy cup clutched to his chest and checked over the cold strawberry in his hand. All eyes were on him, but he was oblivious to it. When he bit into it, he heard his mom let out a breath of relief. He looked over at her with a grin.

"My little fruit loop," Kate said, kissing his forehead. When she pulled back, she looked down at her watch. "I have to get going. You guys have fun at the museum."

"No go," Noah whined, dropping his strawberry and sippy cup to put his arms in the air.

"I have to catch the bad guys, remember? Once I catch a few, I can come home and we can watch a movie or build a castle with your blocks. How does that sound?"

Noah stayed quiet, his way of showing that he was mad at her. She kissed his cheek before walking around to the other side of the table to give Alexis a hug and Rick a kiss.

Rick ended up pulling her into his lap for a tight hug and a few more kisses. "You called the psychologist, didn't you?" he whispered as he nuzzled his face in her neck.

"I did, but I have to go. You are always distracting me," Kate replied, prying herself out of his arms and off his lap even though she probably could stay there all day. She grabbed her purse off the counter before slipping her shoes and coat on. "I'll see you guys later," she waved as she walked out the door.

"Want some more strawberries?" Rick asked Noah who was staring at him, obviously mad. "Eat three more then we can get dressed and go to the museum."

Alexis took one more bite of her scrambled eggs and let the fork hit the plate. "Done!"

"Good job," Rick exclaimed, helping her out of the booster seat in the process. "Now, Noah, eat these," he said to the boy, placing three strawberries in front of him.

"Eat and see dinosaurs!" Alexis cheered, throwing her arms in the air to illustrate her excitement.

…..

One more folder, Kate told herself as she set her pen down to give her hand a rest. She glanced at her watch to see it was 6:30pm. If she finishes this last folder, then she could go home.

On the second page of the case file, the sound of her phone ringing took her out of her concentration. She cursed under her breath and grabbed it off her desk.

"Beckett," she answered without looking at the caller id.

"Hey," Sorenson responded on the other end, his voice calm and collective like he should have always been.

Kate pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. Has it been three weeks already?

"What?" she questioned the only thing that came to mind.

"I've been sober for a month, Kate."

"Congratulations," she said more harsh then intended. In reality she was glad that he was sober, but not so much that it meant he could start seeing Noah.

"Thanks. I was wondering if we could start visits next week… if he's ready."

"I think he forgot about the incident, but I haven't."

"Kate… Don't keep him from me out of spite."

"You hit him, Will. What else am I supposed to do?"

"Be in the room with us. Do you know how bad I feel that I did that? That wasn't me. I would never have done that if it wasn't for…"

"Drinking, yeah. I understand that part, but it doesn't change what you did. You hurt him. I can still hear his cries from when you brought him home to me and you acted like nothing happened. You should have told me!"

"I know… I'm different now, Kate. I'm back to how I was. No more jackass here."

"And I can't keep him from you. Even the court said you have three weeks to clean up," she said with a loud sigh. "Next Friday. You can come to the house. If he reacts badly, you're gone. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

She could hear the happiness in his tone, which made this harder for her. He really wanted to connect with Noah.

"And Kate?"

"Hm?"

"If you need more time, let me know. I read the article about the car accident in the paper. If it's too triggering, I can wait."

"What article?"

"The one that came out in the paper today. You didn't see it?"

"No," she answered as she tried to find the newspaper somewhere on this mess of a desk she had. She finally got to the newspaper when she slid most of her folders to the side. She quickly opened to the first page to see a picture of the damaged car. "Oh my god," she whispered. Seeing how wrecked the car was made her forget to breathe.

"He's okay though, right?"

"What? Yeah. Yeah, he's okay. He had to get surgery to remove glass from his head and then they found internal bleeding. It was scary."

"I wish I wasn't an ass before and was there for him. But he's okay now."

"He's okay. Except…"

"Except?"

"He hardly eats or sleeps. He's being aggressive with his toys and yeah."

"Maybe you should take him to a doctor? Just in case he's suffering something?"

"I called this morning. I have an appointment Friday."

"Would you… would you mind calling me after? Letting me know what the doc thinks? You don't have to if you don't want to."

Ugh. How could she slowly begin to forgive him? He cared about Noah so much, much more than she thought. She couldn't just shun him out forever even if she wanted to.

"Yeah, I'll call you after the appointment."

"Thank you, Kate."

She could practically hear his smile through the phone. "You're welcome. But I have to get back to work and read this article."

"I'll be looking forward to your call on Friday."

"Bye," she said, ending the call and picking the newspaper back up. No wonder this made it to the paper. Rick's name was in the title. Great.

…..

Rick paced his office, trying to get a hold of Paula, but every time he called the line was busy. How could she let this get into the paper? Something that his and Kate's family was having a hard time dealing with. At least the kids couldn't read yet, even though Alexis was getting close. She could sound out small words like cat and dog.

But that wasn't the point. The point was that there was an article about his personal life that he would rather stay out of public.

Paula was probably furious that this leaked out and so was he. And Kate…

Oh god. Kate.

She was probably going to come storming through his loft and hurt him. Well, maybe not physically hurt him, but at least yell. He absolutely hated it when she yelled. And if it involved Noah, it was probably the most terrifying thing he has witnessed. The way her eyes bore deep into him, making him silently scream for mercy. And the sharpness of her voice made him want to curl up in bed and never come out. Kind of like he did whenever his mom would yell at him for doing something bad.

Maybe she didn't see the paper yet. Maybe he still had time to tell her himself. And why exactly did the newspaper wait days to release the article? Was there nothing else they could have used?

He let out a desperate sigh and plopped down in his computer chair. There was no way he was getting out of this without being torn apart by Kate. No possible way.

It was Noah's screaming that made him rush out of the office. When he entered the living room, he saw the boy hiding his face in the couch cushion. His daughter was standing by him with one of her Spiderman masks on.

"What's going on?" he asked, taking a seat on the coffee table.

"We was playing Superheroes and going after bad guys. I came this way," Alexis said, pointing to the left of the couch. "I think I scared him."

Rick lifted the mask off his daughter's face. "Now I can see you," he said with a smile then faced Noah. "How about we watch a movie, big guy?"

"Want Mommy," Noah cried into the cushion, making his voice muffled.

"She should be here soon. Until then, what do you want to do?"

"Build a fort!" Alexis yelled with a great deal of excitement.

"Want to build a little fort?" Rick asked Noah who lifted his head off the couch and looked between Rick and Alexis.

"Play," he sniffled and slid off the couch. He took Alexis' hand and she lead him over to the blocks he liked the most.

"We can build a castle and the fort will be our hide out," she said, dropping his hand to pick up one of the large blocks. "Okay?"

"'Kay," Noah nodded, rubbing his eyes before picking up a block. He followed Alexis to a clear area.

"I'll grab the blankets for the fort," Rick said when he knew the kids were okay enough to leave the room.

…

It was surprising how loud Kate could knock on Rick's door with gloves on. Maybe it was because she was pissed or possibly from the gloves being thinner than her usual ones. Either way, he needed to hurry up and open the damn door.

Rick draped the last blanket over the fort and made sure nothing was going to fall before letting the kids enter it. He smiled at how hesitant the two of them were. And once they were inside, he ran to answer the door. When he swung it open with a smile, he was met with a deathly glare, which made his smile drop.

"Kate, I-"

She shoved past him and sharply turned on her heel. She jabbed his chest with her finger. "How the hell did you let that article get out?"

"I'm just as surprised as you," he squeaked.

"I don't want my son's name in the paper, Castle."

Great. Calling him Castle was not a good sign. She was definitely furious.

"Listen, I talked to Paula and she tried everything in her power to get it out of the paper, but it was too late. They must have purposely waited awhile to release it, making us think they never found out."

Kate quickly analyzed what he just said and exhaled the breath she was holding. "Okay. I know it's not your fault."

"No, it's not my fault."

"I also talked to Sorenson today. I might still be a little on edge because of that," she said while biting down on her bottom lip.

"Katherine Beckett, are you trying to apologize for yelling at me, again?"

"Shut up," she rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile at the grin that was now on his face.

"I accept your apology," he replied, pulling her in for a tight hug.

"What are the kids doing?"

"Building a castle fort. Well, they built the castle walls and we just finished the fort part."

Kate took her shoes off and headed to the living room, wanting to see what the kids built. When she saw the walls stacked seven blocks high and the teepee sized fort, she let out a laugh.

"Their imaginations are ridiculous."

"I know. Alexis says they are superheroes, hiding in their castle. Doesn't make sense, but to them it does," Rick shrugged with a sidewards grin. "But tell me more about Sorenson. What did he say?"

"He told me it's been a month and he wants to see Noah, if I'm okay with it and if Noah can handle it. If not, he said he will wait. He basically doesn't want to sacrifice their relationship again."

"Don't tell me you're starting to forgive him…"

"No. Not really?" his silence made her continue. "I feel bad that he let himself get that out of control and he wants to connect with his son. I have to let him. And I will be in the room with them, so I guess it's okay."

Rick nodded as he slipped his arm around her waist. "Do what you think is best."

"I'll try."

"Now let's play a little trick on them," he tilted his head toward the fort. He took quiet steps to get closer and stood behind it, letting out loud growls.

Within five seconds of hearing the growling, Noah came running out with a play sword. Once his eyes fell on his mom, he forgot about the noise and ran straight into her legs, wrapping his arms tightly around them.

"Hello to you, too."

"Dinotaurs today," Noah said as he looked up at her with a big smile.

"I know. Did you like them?"

"Big!"

"How big?"

"Dis big!" Noah held his arms out all the way to demonstrate how big the dinosaurs were.

"And this high!" Alexis added in, reaching her hands toward the ceiling.

"Yeah," Noah nodded and smiled at her.

"So you guys had a fun time?"

"Big fun," Noah nodded and looked at Alexis to hear her reply.

"Loads. We played tomb raider. It's one of Daddy's games," Alexis answered, looking over at her dad then back at Kate.

"Find dinotaurs and butterfees and snakes!" Noah exclaimed, eyes as wide as possible.

"Wow," Kate bent down, so she was at his and Alexis' level. "Were they scary?"

"Some snakes were. Some were really big and icky," Alexis stated with a scrunched up face.

"We will all have to go together again. I want to play this tomb raider game," Kate smiled at the kids before looking up at Rick. "Or maybe there's one we can find later."

Rick let out a loud cough, eyes wide at what he just heard. He did hear that correctly, right? The twinkle in her eyes made it clear that he did.

"Tease," he mouthed to her and got a devious smirk in return.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Any thoughts to add? :)<strong>_


	17. Chapter 17

Kate took the responsibility of watching Alexis for the day while Rick was at his book signing downtown. She wished he was with her in the psychologist's waiting room because he always knew the right things to say to calm her nerves. To help subside them on her own, she watched this kids play with the toys in front of her. Their innocence always made her forget about her worries.

Noah was rolling around a big, three cart wooden train. Every time he made it turn, his tongue would stick out like he was in deep concentration.

"Don't forget the peoples," Alexis said to him, lifting up two small teddy bears. Noah sat back on his legs and waited for her to put the passengers on. When she was done, she looked at him with a smile. "My turn?"

"No!" Noah screamed, pulling the train closer to him. "Mine!"

"Hey," Kate said, sliding off the chair to sit with the kids. "You can share."

"My tain. Mine, mine, mine!" Noah yelled, turning around to roll the train away from his mom and Alexis. Little did he know that he was going to be pulled back by his waist and into his mom's lap. "No," he whined, arching his back to try and get away, but her arms held him down.

"Relax," Kate whispered into his ear, humming short tunes to calm him. When his body settled back into her, she loosened her arms around his stomach. "Now, let Alexis play with the train. She always lets you play with her toys."

"Mine," Noah whimpered, leaning forward to grab the train, but was held back.

Alexis looked at Kate to be sure it was okay to play with the toy. She got a smile from her, so she started to roll it around. "All aboard. Toot toot," she giggled.

"Toot toot," Noah said, making it impossible not to giggle. He tilted his head back to look up at his mom. "Toot toot."

"Toot toot," Kate repeated and kissed his forehead.

Kate was too busy watching Alexis play to notice that the door to the child psychologist's office opened and a small child walked out.

It was the other kid's heavy footsteps that made Noah look up. When he saw Dr. Ross' superhero shirt, it ended up making him climb out of his mom's lap and run over.

"Batman," Noah said, pointing up at his favorite superhero.

"You like Batman, huh?" Dr. Ross questioned, kneeling down in front of Noah.

"Batman good," Noah nodded with a giant smile.

"You must be Noah," Dr. Ross replied with a smile. "Let's ask your mom if we can come into my office and play with my Batman action figures," he said, smiling at the boy's wide eyes and letting his own fall on Kate.

Kate looked at the wide grin on her son's face then back up at the psychologist.

He had to be at least thirty, but his round baby face and the neatly gelled back hair made it hard to tell. And how he dressed seemed like he wanted to make Noah feel comfortable with his black superhero t-shirt under a mainly red flannel. It was strange how his attire made her feel at ease; it made her feel like he probably wouldn't badger her son for answers like most psychologists do. Hopefully Noah would be able to open up to him with no problem.

"Go ahead, Noah," she finally said with a smile of approval.

Noah didn't wait until Dr. Ross moved. Instead, he squeezed through the small crack between the man and the door frame. He was way too excited to see the Batman figurines.

"He likes Batman a lot, doesn't he?" Dr. Ross asked Kate, watching Noah slowly scan his office.

"Oh yeah. You wore the perfect shirt to get him to warm up to you," Kate replied, glancing down at Alexis to see the girl paying attention to the conversation.

"I'm Dr. Ross by the way."

Kate stood up and walked over to him. She stood just below his eyes, with heels on. Man he was a tall person.

"Nice to meet you. Do you want me to… go in there with him?"

"Let's ask," Dr Ross responded, turning his head back to Noah. "Do you want your mommy in the room with you while I ask you some questions?"

Noah pointed at the Dark Knight poster on the wall next to the Elmo one. "You play me?"

"Sure, buddy," Dr. Ross answered before turning back to Kate. "If he doesn't like being away from you, I'll let you come in. And after we are done, I'll tell you what I think. Shouldn't be no more than an hour."

"Sounds good," Kate replied as she looked into the office. "I'll be right out here, Noah."

"Fine." Noah didn't really care where his mom was right now. The man with thick-framed glasses and Batman toys was way more interesting.

…..

"Before we have your mommy come in here, so I can tell her a few things, tell me what Batman dreams about," Dr Ross said, leaning forward in his chair to listen to the little boy in front of him.

Noah put the Batman figurine in his other hand and studied it. "Cash," he replied with a furrowed brow.

"Do you mean crash?" Dr. Ross asked, making sure that's what Noah meant since he didn't pronounce his Rs too well.

"Batman hut," Noah frowned, holding the figurine to his chest.

"Batman shouldn't hurt anymore. It's all over."

"He members."

"What does he remember?"

"Owwies and sounds."

"What kinds of sounds?"

"Loud," Noah answered, looking up at his new friend, eyes filled with tears.

"We can stop there, okay?"

"Otay," Noah whispered with a small nod. He slid off the chair and ran into his new friend's arms for a hug.

Dr. Ross patted Noah's back before holding him away at arms length. "How about I see you next week? We can help Batman-" He tapped Noah's nose. "-overcome the crash he was in."

"Yeah," Noah smiled, looking at the office door. "Mommy?"

"Let's have your mommy and friend come in here. You can show your friend all my Batman toys while I talk to your mommy."

Noah ran to the door and turned the handle. When he pulled it open, he yelled, "Come 'side, Lessis!"

Alexis looked up at Kate, who was now standing. She held onto her hand and walked into the room.

Noah grabbed Alexis' other hand and tugged her over to all the neat toys against the far wall. He picked up his two favorite action figures, Batman and Spiderman, and handed her the Spiderman one.

"Beat ee… stuff!"

"Evil," Alexis giggled and helped create a mini town with Noah.

"Ebil?"

"Ee-v-il," Alexis sounded it out for him.

"Eee-vil," Noah repeated with a huge smile at his accomplishment.

"So what's your conclusion?" Kate asked when she took a seat in front of Dr. Ross.

"Definitely symptoms of PTSD. We called him Batman, which made it easier for him to talk about certain things. Most kids would rather speak about what's going on with them through another person or toy and that's what he chose. And all the things you said on the phone earlier today, his behaviors and such, helped me reach this conclusion."

"Are you going to put him on something to help?"

"No, I don't believe in medications with little kids nor am I allowed to write prescriptions. I'd have to talk to the psychiatrist and she'd have to see Noah. But I think he will be fine if we just talk it all out, come up with strategies to handle certain situations, and to get rid of the fear he has."

Kate nodded while she watched her son play with Alexis. Her little boy has PTSD. She bit down on her bottom lip and turned back toward Dr. Ross.

"It's not your fault, you know," Dr. Ross said with a gentle tone.

"I know. It just hurts to know that he's still in pain, you know?"

"I know."

They both shared a laugh because of saying 'know' a lot within less than a minute.

"So how much do I owe you?" Kate asked, changing the topic because she didn't want this to be about herself, just Noah.

"His insurance covers everything."

"Oh, right. Yeah. Forgot I filled out that form."

"It's fine," Dr. Ross replied, standing up with a smile. "But I would like to see him for a few months, maybe more, depending on when he's back to his normal self."

Kate nodded in agreement. "Sounds good."

"Hey, Noah," Dr. Ross said, getting the boy's attention. "I'll see you next week at the same time."

"Next eek," Noah said while running over to Dr. Ross.

"Week," Kate corrected, holding out his and Alexis's jacket.

"Now we can go to the bookstore?" Alexis asked, taking her jacket from Kate's hand.

"Yes, let's go see your Daddy."

…..

The moment the three of them got to cut the line and walk into the bookstore, Alexis took off running for her dad. She rounded the table and collided with his thigh. Her one arm draped over his lap as she laid her head against his stomach.

"Daddy," she said, placing her chin on his stomach and looking up at him with a smile.

"Hold on a second, Pumpkin," Rick smoothed her hair down, bringing his attention on the woman in front of the table. "Name?" he questioned with his charming smile.

"Is that your little girl?" the woman asked, peering over the table to see Alexis. "She's adorable."

"Thanks," Rick replied.

"Make it out to Ariana."

"Alright, Ariana. What did you think of the book?"

"Oh, no, I didn't read it. This is a birthday gift for my sister. She's a huge fan of yours."

"That's very nice of you," Rick said, writing a birthday greeting for this woman's sister, Ariana. "Here you go." He closed the book and handed it to her.

"Thank you," the woman said, looking at Alexis once more before walking away.

Rick looked up to see one of the bookstore workers closing the rope at the front of the line. Break time. Thank god.

He turned his head to see Kate over on the far right, looking at children's books with Noah. She was more beautiful than ever when she was taking care of Noah. The smiles she had with him, the happiness radiating off her in great volumes. It all made him want to run over to her and kiss her, but he would never do that with all these people around. Instead, he stood up, lifting Alexis into his arms and covering her from all the camera flashes - he hated when she was in the newspaper - as he made his way to Noah and Kate.

Once they were at the children's section, Rick set Alexis down by Noah who was squatting with his arms wrapped around his legs while looking at a book on the floor. In fact, there were several books surrounding the boy. Rick chuckled as he helped Alexis out of her jacket and held onto it. He then stood up taller to notice that Kate was in the next row over, so it was understandable for Noah to have a ton of books scattered everywhere since nobody was watching him.

"How about you look at one book at a time?" Rick asked Noah who picked up his book and turned away, ignoring him. "Oh?"

"What?" Kate questioned, from the other row.

"See the mess he made?"

Kate walked around the corner to see the mess. "Really, Noah?" She rolled her eyes, kneeling down beside him to pick up the books.

"Stop!" Noah yelled, standing and latching onto the book his mom had in her hands. He tried to yank it back, but it didn't even budge.

"Noah James," Kate said with a low, stern tone.

Noah stopped what he was doing and took a few steps back. He tried to cross his arms and pout.

"Now you stop," Kate said with a smile, gently poking his nose.

"Ooh," Alexis said, making everyone look in her direction. She picked up one of the books off the floor and held it up. "The Very Hungry Cat, Daddy!" she squealed, hopping up and down.

"Caterpillar," Rick corrected with a laugh. "Here," he said, taking the book from his daughter. "Let's go sit on the beanbag chairs and read it."

"Book," Noah announced, pointing up at Rick. "Mine!"

"No, it's not yours," Kate said, setting the books Noah pulled out into a pile.

"Mine," Noah growled at her and ran in the opposite direction.

"Noah!" Kate and Rick yelled at the same time.

"Chase!" Alexis screamed to join in and ran the way Noah did.

"Alexis!" Rick yelled, taking off after his daughter. He got to the end of the row of books and grabbed her before she went out of view. He turned around to see that Kate was no where in sight, but he could hear her screaming Noah's name. "Come on you," he said, lifting Alexis onto his hip.

He went in pursuit of Kate's voice to find her running out the store doors. Oh no. The doors have been open because of people waiting in line and to top it all off, Noah was a huge fan of being outside by himself.

Alexis hid her face in her dad's neck while he helped put her jacket on. She clung onto him to try and stay out of the camera flashes. When the cold air touched her fingers, she knew she was outside, so she slightly lifted her head up to see what was going on.

"Kate!" Rick yelled, speed walking to his left.

"Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep," Noah chanted, colliding right into Rick's legs. He stumbled back a few paces until he regained his full balance. After, he ran around Rick and straight ahead.

"Noah, no," Rick said, reaching out to grab the boy's shirt, but missed by a centimeter. He followed Noah at a fast walking speed because Alexis was in his arms.

Noah was too busy giggling and looking at his feet, so he wouldn't fall like normal, to notice his mom standing several yards in front of him. Just as he was about to barrel into her legs, he turned back around. This caused him to get his leg twisted over the other, making himself fall on the pavement with a lot of impact.

Once Kate heard Noah's hands hit the sidewalk, she lifted him up, facing her. "It's okay," she whispered when she saw his eyes welling up with tears. She held him tight, closing her eyes. "Never, ever run out here again. Do you copy Little Batman?"

Forgetting that his hands hurt, Noah giggled into his mom's shoulder. He lifted his head up to look at her. "I Batman!"

"Only if you never come outside or run from me again."

"No again," Noah agreed with a nod. "Cold now, Mommy," he said, curling himself into her torso.

"Close call," Rick said when Noah and Kate were next to him.

"Watch it be in the paper tomorrow," Kate said, glaring at the people in line that were holding up their cameras.

"I'll let Paula know ahead of time. That way she can keep it from being published. And if I do give her a heads up, she will probably start liking me again," Rick replied with a big smile. "Until then, let's go inside and you can tell me all about his appointment after I read them the book Alexis loves."

"Sounds good."

The three of them sat down on the alphabet rug, Kate in one beanbag chair and Rick in the one across from her. Both Noah and Alexis were clung to Kate for this story and Rick found that adorable. He also liked how his daughter was this close to Kate, the mother figure she really needed in her life.

Once everyone was settled and the talking between Noah and Alexis stopped, Rick started the story. And a few minutes later he finished the last two pages. "He built a small house, called a cocoon, around himself. He stayed inside for more than two weeks. Then he nibbled a hole in the cocoon, pushed his way out and… he was a beautiful butterfly." He turned the book around for the kids to the see the illustration.

"Rick," Kate whispered, catching his attention.

"Hm?" he questioned, closing the book before looking up.

He saw Noah conked out in his mom's lap, mouth slack. And then he noticed Alexis who was leaning against Kate, arms around her and eyes shut. She was asleep too.

"Did they ever nap?" Rick asked, still observing the kids.

"No, well, maybe for like ten minutes on the subway, but that's about it," Kate answered, running her hand down Alexis' soft hair and tightening her arm around Noah's body to hold him closer.

"It's amazing how much Alexis is fond of you. She was never like this with anyone else I've dated."

"Were the other girls moms?"

"One was, but she was b-i-t-c-h."

"Oh," Kate replied, grinning.

"So tell me, what did the psychologist say?"

"Okay, he was probably the best child psychologist I have ever seen. He doesn't dress up like most adult ones do. Instead, he stays in clothes that most kids would like. For example, he wore a Batman t-shirt with Noah and had a lot of superhero things in his office. Noah really opened up to him because of that."

"Is he young?"

"One of his plaques on the walls held his high school diploma. It said that he graduated in 1991."

"Young," Rick replied with a smile. "That's a good thing if you think about it."

"How so?"

"The younger you are, the easier it would be to get kids to like you."

"You're not the youngest man I know, but kids still like you quite a lot," Kate teased, causing Rick to give her a puppy dog look. "Oh, stop. You know I'm just kidding."

"I know."

Just then, one of the bookstore's workers came walking over. "Two more hours of signings then you can go home, Mr. Castle."

"Are you going to head out?" Rick asked Kate, attempting to get himself on his feet, but the beanbag chair seemed to suck him in. He let out a grunt and pulled himself up by using the closest bookshelf.

Kate couldn't help but laugh at him. Only he would get stuck in a beanbag chair.

"So?" he questioned.

"Oh. I thought about just letting the kids sleep in the beanbag chairs and reading until you're done. But it would probably be better to go home."

"No," Rick said. "Stay. That way I can look over every so often and get happy again because-" He leaned down. "-signing books to horny women that try too hard because I'm famous when I have a smoking hot girlfriend brings me down."

"You're such a liar," Kate pushed his shoulder back, making him stand up with a smirk.

"I shall return," Rick said, leaning back down to plant a gentle kiss upon Kate's lips. "Mm. Strawberries."

"That was this morning!"

"I know," Rick said over his shoulder with a laugh. "Doesn't mean I can't still taste it!"

…..

Two and a half hours went by until all four of them were at Rick's loft, sitting down to watch a movie while they waited for the Chinese food to arrive.

The kids ended up getting off the couch to play with toys because they had a ton of new energy after their nap. And they definitely didn't want to sit still.

Alexis picked up her ball from on top of the toy chest and held it above her head. "Noah, catch!"

Noah turned toward Alexis' voice, setting down the train in his hands to catch the ball. But when Alexis threw it to him, he didn't exactly catch it. Instead it bounced off his stomach and rolled away from him.

"Mine, mine, mine," Noah said, chasing the ball. He dove on it, making himself roll off and onto the floor.

Alexis laughed so hard that she couldn't stand up. She crawled over to Noah and patted the ball.

"They're crazy," Rick said with a laugh.

"I know right?" Kate responded, laying her head on his shoulder to watch the kids. Her phone started to ring and she was tempted to ignore the call, but she remembered that Sorenson wanted her to call him after Noah's appointment. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and answered it. "Beckett."

"How'd everything go?" Sorenson asked.

Kate could tell that he was moving fast through the busy streets of the city. He must be on a case yet he still called. "Huh."

"What?"

Oh, she said that out loud. "Nothing," she answered. "But Dr. Ross said that Noah definitely has PTSD and that he's going to start weekly sessions to help him overcome it."

"PTSD, huh?"

"Sadly, yeah," Kate nearly whispered with a frown. She could feel Rick's arm tightening around her for comfort. She looked up at him, creating a slight smile.

"Do you think I could see him Monday or even tomorrow? Whatever's good for you."

"Uh, we can do it tomorrow. 1pm sound good?"

"Sounds good, but I have to go. About to arrest a suspect. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Bye," Kate said, ending the call before Sorenson could say anything else. "He's going to visit Noah tomorrow…"

"Oh," Rick replied, pulling her closer and kissing the top of her head. "Call me when he leaves. I'll come over."

"Okay." Kate grinned up at him, planting a kiss on his unshaved cheek. "I'm digging the scruff," she said, running her finger down his jaw.

"Little eyes and ears," Rick mumbled to himself, trying not to let Kate's fingertips that were under the collar of his shirt get him aroused.

"You're so easy, Richard Castle," Kate chuckled, shaking her head at the same time.

…..

Kate just finished vacuuming the living room when knocks came from the door.

Sorenson was here.

She looked over at the book shelf where Noah was stacking his blocks. He told her this is where the jail for the bad cars was located. She found his imagination for his cars cute.

Once she was done rolling up the cord because Noah was the type to pull on things that looked like a rope, she opened up the apartment door.

"Hey," she said, motioning for Sorenson to come in.

"Did you tell him I was coming?" Sorenson asked, taking his coat off and hanging it on the coat rack.

"I tried, but he didn't really pay attention. He'd rather play with his toys," Kate said before looking over Sorenson to see that he gained some weight and looked healthier, not so frail anymore.

"If he reacts badly, I'm out," Sorenson said, nodding to himself.

"Yes," Kate agreed, leading him into the living room.

Noah could hear two sets of footsteps going over to the couch, but he wanted to destroy the jail so the prisoners could escape before seeing who the visitor was. He slid a book out from the shelf and winded up his left arm. The sight of his blocks going flying, after he hit them, got him overly excited.

"Run!" he screamed, grabbing a few of the bad cars and running. The sight of Sorenson as he ran in front of the couch made him skid to a stop. He squinted his eyes at the man, gripping onto his cars tighter.

"Hey, tough guy," Sorenson said, licking his lips and bouncing his knee from being nervous.

Noah turned his head toward his mom, trying to figure out why the meanest guy he knew was sitting next to her.

"It's okay, Noah," Kate said, reading her son's expression within seconds. He was confused, which was better than being scared, but for all she knew it was a front.

And she was definitely correct on it being a front.

Noah lifted his left hand with the bright red car in it, his knuckles white from clutching it so hard. He then threw it directly at Sorenson, hitting the man in the head.

"Noah!" Kate yelled, quickly standing up. "Will, I'm so sorry," she apologized to Sorenson who was rubbing his forehead and nodding. She turned back toward her son who staring at her. No, he was glaring. She opened her mouth to yell at him some more, but he beat her to it.

"Bad! Mean! Mean Mommy! No like you!" Noah screamed, eyes brimming with tears. He kept looking at his mom, trying to understand why she let Sorenson in the house before running off toward his room to hide.

"I think this is my cue to leave," Sorenson murmured, standing up to put his coat back on.

Kate's mouth was agape, her feet wouldn't move, and she didn't know what to do. Sorenson was saying something, but she couldn't hear him. Her son just threw a hard Hot Wheels car at a person and called her mean. The anger and fear that was present in his little voice made her feel horribly guilty like this was all her fault.

"Kate?" Sorenson questioned, walking back over to her. "It's okay. I understand. He's still upset with me. I would be too."

"Yeah," Kate whispered, still trying to get her legs to move, to go find her scared little boy.

"We'll try again after a few therapy sessions, okay?"

"Okay."

Sorenson placed his hand on Kate's shoulder before heading for the door.

The sound of the door being shut snapped Kate out of her trance. But she wasn't sure if she should go find Noah right now since he could still be upset with her. And the last thing she wanted to do was make it worse, so she did the only other thing she could think of.

She called Rick.

And fifteen minutes later, he was walking through her apartment door. He completely neglected to take his coat and boots off. Instead, he walked right into the living room and pulled her into a tight hug.

The sound of Kate's crying made Rick hold her closer, tighter, trying to get rid of all the pain she had.

"It's okay," he whispered, closing his eyes when he could hear her staggered inhales.

"He doesn't like me, Rick," she said through her cries, clutching onto his coat.

"He didn't mean it."

"Yes, he did," she said, crying harder and almost losing her balance.

"Come on," he replied, guiding her to the couch to sit down. When she was curled up against the arm, he went in pursuit of Noah. "Noah?" he asked, pushing the boy's bedroom door open. He deliberately checked the room over to find that the closet doors weren't completely shut. The closer he got to the closet, the easier it was to hear the sniffling. "Hey," he said, sliding the right door open to see Noah sitting on the floor. Rick knelt down in front of the boy. "Are you okay?"

"Out!" Noah yelled.

"How about you come out, tell your mommy that you're sorry, and that you didn't mean what you said?"

"No like Mommy," Noah cried, pushing Rick's hands, that were trying to pick him up, away.

"Are you sure you don't like the other guy that was here?"

"No like Mommy," Noah repeated himself and turned to the side, so he couldn't see Rick looking at him.

"Mommy's sorry for letting him in the house, but he wants to get to know you since he's Daddy to you."

"No!"

"Yes, Noah, she is sorry."

Noah stayed silent now. He didn't want to talk anymore. He wanted to stay hidden from his mommy.

"It's useless," Kate said from the bedroom door.

Rick looked up to see her leaning against the door frame, fresh tears making their way down her already mascara stained face. He watched her walk away before looking back at Noah.

How was he supposed to help fix this?

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: I had a mini writer's block, but not anymore!<em>** _**Hope you enjoyed it.**_


	18. Chapter 18

It has been an hour since Rick gave up on trying to persuade Noah out of the closet and to apologize to Kate. The boy turned his back toward him, not wanting to listen.

Rick was now sitting across from Kate at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee and trying to make her feel better. So far nothing was working. He even pulled out his cheesy jokes that would normally make her smile.

"I could try again," Rick said, setting his coffee back on the table.

Kate traced the rim of her cup, thinking. If only she didn't bring Sorenson here none of this would have happened. She usually wasn't one to have regrets, but it was impossible not to when it came to her son.

"Let me try," she whispered, pushing her chair back for enough room to get up.

She let her fingers slide on the hall wall as she was walking, something Noah always did. When she stepped into her son's room, she sighed. He was still in his closet after a little over an hour. How he stayed in one spot for so long kind of worried her.

Once she slid the closet door open and saw Noah asleep on his blanket, her heart stopped – he fell asleep in here by himself. She bit down on her lip while bending down to run her fingers through his hair, finding out that it was damp by his forehead. He must have been really worked up earlier and it was all her fault.

"You should take him out," Rick whispered from the doorway.

"Yeah," Kate agreed with a slight nod. She slid her hands under Noah's armpits and slowly directed him out of the closet before holding him against her. Surprisingly, he didn't wake up and just let his head lay on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry," she whispered with her lips against his ear. "I didn't know you'd react that way." She picked up his blanket and draped it over his body.

Noah slightly opened his eyes and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand.

"Hey you," Kate murmured with a smile.

A small sigh escaped Noah's lips before he closed his eyes again. He snuggled his face into Kate's neck, falling back asleep when the scent of her perfume hit his nose.

"Did he nap today?" Rick asked, making Kate turn toward him.

"For ten minutes. He wanted to play on his quad and I told him he had to nap first," she answered with a stifled laugh.

"You don't want to lay him down," Rick stated his observation.

Kate looked down at Noah who was now clutching onto the collar of her shirt. His steady breaths on her neck made her not want to set him down. She'd rather hold him like this, something she used to always do when he was a baby – hold him for hours while he was asleep.

"Not yet," she answered, making her way out of the room and passing Rick. "What time do you have to be home?"

"Whenever. My mom wanted girl time with Alexis."

"Maybe I can have a day with her sometime. Get to know her when she's not around anyone else," Kate said as she slowly sat on the couch, making sure Noah stayed against her shoulder.

"Kate," Rick said, placing his hand on her knee. "I would love that and I have a feeling she would too."

"Why would you love it?" Kate asked, nudging Rick's knee with her own.

Rick shrugged, putting his attention on Team Umizoomi that was on the TV.

"Rick, tell me."

"It's just… she doesn't really have a mother figure in her life besides my mom. And my mom isn't _always _there. I mean, Gina and other people I have been with were good to Alexis and all, but not how you are," Rick said, sitting with his body facing Kate. "You care about her like you care about Noah and she might only be three, but she can see it. She's even asked me if you loved her before."

"What did you say?"

"I said yes, of course. And it wasn't a lie because I see the way you interact with her, look at her. You do love my little girl." Rick smiled as he pushed some of Kate's hair behind her ear.

"How could I not?" Kate asked with a gentle small. "She warmed my heart so fast."

"If you weren't holding a sleeping boy right now, I'd smother you in hugs. You don't know how much that means to me."

Kate rested her head against the back of the couch before letting out a laugh. "I would hurt you if you did that."

"You'd like my hugs," Rick said, wiggling his eyebrows with a sly grin.

"Oh my god. Don't talk like that near my son."

"He's asleep!"

"Yeah, he is," Kate smiled before kissing the top of Noah's head.

"I will never understand how little kids can sleep like that. Their head against their parent's chest, legs kind of around them. It doesn't look comfortable at all."

"Yet this is the way he likes to fall asleep on me."

"Strange, strange, child."

"Hey." Kate used her hand that wasn't holding Noah's back to shove Rick. "My kid is not strange. I think it's you that's strange."

"I won't deny it, but so are you."

Kate glared at him. "I'll get you later for that."

"Looking forward to it," Rick replied, scooting away a little, so he wouldn't get shoved again. He watched how peacefully Noah looked against Kate. The boy's face was buried in her neck and his arms were by his sides. "Maybe you should lay him down?"

"He woke up and noticed I was holding him yet he fell back asleep. He didn't like me for awhile and now he's okay. You really think I'm going to lay him down?" Kate asked, positioning herself so she would be leaning against the arm of the couch. She set her legs on Rick's lap, slouching down.

"Good point," Rick replied, patting her leg.

"Besides, I love when he sleeps on me. I don't know why, but I do."

"It's probably because you're close to him. Now that he's older, he doesn't want to cuddle as much, right?"

"Sadly."

"The only time Alexis cuddles with me is if she's sick or just had a nightmare. It's a bummer."

"I'll still cuddle with you," Kate said with a wide grin.

"Tonight?"

"Maybe."

"Stop getting my hopes up!"

"Stop letting me get them up."

Rick shook his head with a smile. "I'll never win with you, will I?"

"Nope," Kate answered with a devious smirk. "Never."

…..

By the end of the second Temptation Lane episode that Kate chose to watch, Noah woke up.

He brought his left hand up to rub his eyes and laid still for a few more minutes. Once he was more awake, he placed both of his hands on his mom's chest and lifted himself up.

"Hey there, cutie," Kate murmured with a soft smile.

Noah smiled and hid his face back in her neck.

Kate wrapped her arms tightly around his body. "I'm sorry," she said into his ear.

"I saw-wee," Noah replied.

Rick leaned over and ruffled the boy's hair. "I'm glad you woke up. I was getting sick of this show."

Kate glared at Rick and got an uneasy look in return. The smile that formed on her lips helped him relax again. It was funny how simple it was to make him feel uncomfortable.

"Mommy, down," Noah said while rubbing his face in her shirt.

"Okay, okay," Kate replied with a frown, not wanting to let her little boy free. She sat up straighter and lifted him off of her, placing him on the floor.

Noah ran off the moment his feet touched the carpet. He went into his room for his stuffed Batman toy and came back out. He placed it on Rick's lap and looked up at him with a smile.

"What's this?" Rick questioned, picking up the stuffed toy and checking it over. "Is this Batman?"

"Batman!" Noah cheered and nodded.

Rick brought the toy to Noah's belly and tickled him there. Noah tried to cover his stomach, but only made it easier for Rick to get his sides.

Kate sat forward to see why her son was laughing so hard. And when she saw the reason, she leaned her head on Rick's shoulder.

"You love how I'm good with Alexis, I love how you're good with Noah."

"He's easy to get along with," Rick said, kissing the top of Kate's head before turning back to Noah. He lifted the boy onto his lap to continue the tickling.

"Top, top, top," Noah screeched, trying to get off Rick's lap. "Mommy, help!" he screamed, reaching for her.

"I'll save you!" Kate exclaimed before she tickled Rick's sides. He stopped tickling Noah for a second to face her. The look in his eyes made her hand come up like it would stop him. "Don't you dare".

Rick set Noah on the floor and began to tickle Kate instead. He got her laughing so hard that she ended up on her back, which only made it easier for him to tickle her sides. Noah joined in and giggled at his mom's laughter.

"Rick, I swear to god!" Kate laughed, trying to push him off her.

"Okay, I'll stop," He said with a chuckle before sitting back up. He looked down at Noah who was watching him. He grabbed the boy and pulled him on the couch, tickling him the entire time.

Kate joined in for this round, laughing at her son's squeals and giggles. She stopped when Rick did and watched to see what Noah would do now.

Noah sat into the back of the couch as much as he could, eyeing both his mom and Rick. When his breathing finally went back to normal, he attempted to get off the couch only to be held down and tickled again.

After the third round, Kate lifted Noah into her arms, rocking side to side. "Time to change you and then go to Rick's to make dinner. You can play with Alexis tonight."

"Lessis!" Noah clapped, tilting his head back to look at his mom with a smile.

Kate planted a wet kiss on his forehead before looking over at Rick. "And someone will be getting punished for tickling me."

"I'll be patiently waiting," Rick said, grinning from ear to ear.

…..

The moment the three of them walked into Rick's loft, Noah ran off to find Alexis before his mom could grab onto him. He ran around the couch and stood in the middle of the living room.

She wasn't here.

Martha took a sip of her drink, walking over to Noah. "She's in the bathroom, kiddo."

Noah looked up at the woman that was several feet away. His head whipped to the side when he saw his mom coming for him to take his coat and boots. He smirked before running for the downstairs bathroom.

Alexis opened the bathroom door just as he got in front of it. "Noah!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

"In," Noah replied, running into the bathroom because he could hear his mom's footsteps. He grabbed onto Alexis' hand, tugging her away from the door. After he shut it, he sat below the door handle, leaning all his weight against it.

"What are you doing?" Alexis asked with a confused look. She answered her own question when knocking came from the door. "Who is it?"

"The big bad wolf," Rick answered with a low-pitched voice.

Alexis let out a shriek, causing Noah to jump and stare up at her with wide eyes. "Lock it!" she screamed, running for the door to lock the handle. After pushing the lock in, she grabbed Noah's hand. "We has to hide," she whispered.

"Wolf?"

"Big wolf!"

Noah's mouth formed a firm o-shape that Alexis couldn't help but giggle at. She kept his hand in hers and looked over the bathroom. There weren't many places to hide, so she decided to go in the tub. Hopefully the shower curtain would conceal them.

She walked Noah over to the tub and let go of his hand to pull the shower curtain back. "Go in," she commanded, pointing to the tub.

Noah peered in to see there wasn't any water, which confused him. He turned toward Alexis. "No bath?"

"We hide in here. But take your boots off first. Tub can't get dirty!" Alexis as Noah sat down on the floor. She pulled off his boots and watched him stand back up. "Time to hide."

"Hide," Noah smiled in agreement before he attempted to go into the tub headfirst. He stuck his hands out in the perfect moment to stop his head from hitting the bottom. Once he slid down in a diagonal, so he was on his stomach, he looked back at Alexis.

"Funny," Alexis said with a giggle before lifting her one leg over the ledge to get in. When she was fully in the tub, she pulled the shower curtain shut and sat down next to Noah. "Be quiet."

"Great. You made them lock the door on us," Kate hissed, trying to turn the doorknob for the tenth time.

"Hand me a bobby pin," Rick commanded, holding his hand out.

"What makes you think I have one? My hair is down."

"A pen?"

"You're the writer. Shouldn't you have a pen on you?"

Rick huffed before stalking off to find something to insert into the doorknob hole. He's had to do this numerous times when Alexis first figured out how to lock all the doors. He chuckled to himself when he pulled open the junk drawer in the kitchen for a pen. When he saw the small box of toothpicks, he thought that would work better, so he grabbed one.

"Toothpick," he stated, holding up the small piece of wood as he walked back toward Kate. He inserted it into the doorknob until he heard a small click. He twisted the handle and pushed the door open. "After you."

Kate shook her head and walked into the bathroom to find her son's boots in the middle of the floor. Her eyebrow quirked up as her eyes fell on the two shadows in the tub.

"Found them," she whispered.

Rick formed an insidious grin while looking at Kate.

She shook her head and mouthed, "No."

But of course, he didn't listen. He slowly walked to the shower and just as he was about to pull back the curtain, she grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Scare my kid and see what happens," she growled in a whisper.

Rick sighed. "I smell dinner," he said as a warning to the kids. He grabbed onto the shower curtain and pulled it back. "Dinner."

Alexis screamed, making Noah cover his ears. He glared at his friend then looked up to see Rick's evil smirk. His eyes widened as he stood up. He practically dove out of the tub, making Kate lunge forward to catch him, so he wouldn't hit his face on the tiled floor.

"Jeez," Kate said with a loud exhale of relief. She stood Noah on his feet, quickly taking his coat off before he ran out of the room.

"Looks like I eat you first, little one," Rick said to Alexis before lifting her into his arms. He used his mouth to tickle her sides, creating shrieks and laughs. He set her under his arm like a football, carrying her out of the room in pursuit of Noah. "You can't hide, little man. The big bad wolf is hungry."

"Run, Noah!" Alexis shouted, causing her dad's hand to be put over her mouth.

"I ate you. You're in my tummy, so you can't talk anymore."

Alexis huffed and frowned. She didn't like this game anymore.

Rick entered his office with Kate on his heels. He didn't think Noah would be in this room, but he did have a hunch on where he might be hiding.

He set Alexis on his bed before bending down to look under it. When he saw Noah's piercing blue eyes on him, he grinned.

"Dessert."

Noah quickly crawled out from the right side. He ran out of the room and into the office. He ended up colliding with his mom's legs.

"Mommy, help!" he shrieked, lifting his arms up and looking behind him to see Rick getting onto his feet.

Kate scooped Noah into her arms and shifted him onto her hip. "I got you now," she said in a deep voice.

Noah's eyes went extremely wide as he tried to get back down on the floor, but he couldn't. And then he was being tickled.

The sound of her son's laughter made Kate not want to stop tickling him even after he pleaded for her to. After a few moments, she let him catch his breath. But just as he was about to be fully relaxed, thinking that he wouldn't get tickled again, she got him once more.

"Daddy, catch!" Alexis shouted from her dad's bed.

Rick quickly turned around to catch his daughter as she hopped off the bed. He swung her around a few times before setting her on the floor.

"Mommy, down," Noah said, reaching for the floor to join his friend.

Kate kissed his forehead before setting him down. She smoothed his hair back before he ran out of the office, Alexis right behind him.

"I think his laugh is the cutest I've ever heard," Rick said, sliding his arm around Kate's waist.

"I agree," she replied, setting the side of her head on his shoulder. "But Alexis has a cute laugh too."

"Hers is more of a silent one, though."

"True, but she does let out squeaks."

"Which are cute."

"Exactly."

"So, what would you like for dinner, detective?"

"I'm good with just a salad, but if you have chicken nuggets, Noah would love you. He hasn't had them in a long time."

"Chicken nuggets for the little tykes and a Caesar salad for you," Rick replied, kissing Kate's temple.

Just as Kate was about to turn toward him to plant a kiss on his lips, a loud crash came from the living room. And it sounded like glass.

"Oh boy," Martha said loud enough for them to hear.

Kate glanced up at Rick before taking off for the living room. When she got to the couch, she stopped.

Noah was standing near most of the shattered glass, staring at all of it. And Alexis was next to him, her mouth open so wide that her chin was touching her small chest.

"Who did it?" Rick asked when he stood next to Kate.

"Not me," Alexis answered, looking over at Noah who was now squatting in front of the glass. He placed his hand over a large piece that was reflecting a rainbow from being directly under the light. "Don't do that!" she yelled.

Kate stepped over the arm of the couch, walking on the cushions to the other end before getting off. She bent down and grabbed Noah's wrist just as his fingers enclosed the piece of glass in his hand.

"Open your hand," she demanded.

"Mine," Noah tried to pull his wrist out of his mom's grasp, but failed. He watched her arm snake around his body, pulling him closer to her. Why did she want his pretty rainbow?

Kate held Noah's wrist with her left hand and began to peel his fingers up with the other. Once she could see the glass, a huge wave of relief came over her, but then she saw red. She quickly took the piece of glass out of his hand to find that it was bleeding.

She threw the glass back into the pile, lifted Noah into her arms, and grabbed Alexis' hand. After getting to the kitchen sink, she let go of Alexis' hand and placed Noah on the counter.

Rick was already beside her, wetting a paper towel. He handed it over and lifted Alexis up, so she could see.

Kate placed the wet paper towel into Noah's hand. "Squeeze it."

Noah listened until he felt the pain in his hand. "No," he said, letting the paper towel fall to the floor.

After Kate picked it back up, she grabbed back onto Noah's wrist, holding the paper towel in his hand. His whimpers made her feel bad, but this was obviously his fault.

"What did they break?" Rick asked his mother who was picking up the glass in the living room.

"Looks like it could have been from a vase, but I'm not sure," Martha answered.

"What did you guys break?" Rick asked Alexis who was sitting on the counter next to him, swinging her feet.

"Noah wanted to gives me flowers," Alexis answered with a big smile. "But he dropped it."

"Cute," Kate smiled at the girl before looking back at her son. She lifted the paper towel off of his hand to see that the bleeding has stopped. "Peroxide?" she asked Rick, watching Noah stare at his hand.

Rick took the first-aid kit out of the cupboard and stood back in front of his daughter, so she wouldn't be tempted to hop down. He took the peroxide and a cotton ball out of the kit before handing it over to Kate.

Kate twisted the peroxide cap off and held the cotton ball over the opening. Once she tilted the bottle and the cotton ball was wet enough, she dabbed Noah's hand, which caused him to scream loudly.

"I'm sorry, but I need to make sure you don't get an infection," Kate shouted above his screaming.

Rick set Alexis on the floor before going over to help hold Noah still. "Hold his hand over the sink and just dump it on."

"Are you kidding me?" Kate asked through gritted teeth. She hated making her little boy upset.

"It's faster."

Kate turned the faucet on, twisting the knob for mostly cold water. She held Noah's hand over the sink and quickly dumped the peroxide onto his hand. After struggling to hold it still for a few moments, she held it under the cold water.

"That's not so bad, is it?" Kate questioned, planting a kiss on Noah's now damp hair.

"Boo boo?" Alexis asked while trying to look at the top of the counter.

"He's okay now, Pumpkin," Rick replied, looking down at his little girl. "We just need to put a band-aid on him."

"Okay, Daddy."

…..

Martha left after dinner, leaving the four of them gathered in the living room to watch a movie. Since Alexis picked the last one, it was Noah's turn. He grabbed six DVDs and carried them over to the couch.

"Dis," he said, dropping them onto Rick's lap.

"Just one," Rick replied with a small laugh.

Noah scrunched up his nose and squinted at the movies. Two of them were Batman related and the others were Disney movies. He placed his hand on _The Dark Knight_ and held it up.

"Batman!"

"Violence, Rick," Kate mumbled with a glare.

"Noah, do you know that this is not real?" Rick asked the boy.

"No real. Batman soup-he-o," Noah answered with a big smile. "Joker have gun. He bad. Mommy gets bad guys."

Rick smiled down at the toddler in front of him. This is the most excited he has ever witness Noah while he was talking. Rick looked back over at Kate and gave her a slight shrug.

"No. He can't watch it."

"If he starts being violent, I'll take all the blame, and try to fix it."

"Fine. Whatever. If he has nightmares about clowns chasing him down and trying to kill him, I will make sure you get nothing special for a few months."

"Batman it is," Rick said to Noah, ignoring what Kate said and handing the movie to Alexis, so she could put it in the DVD player. "Besides, Alexis has seen this a few times with me. Nothing ever happened."

"Mhm," Kate hummed, drumming her fingers on the couch.

Once Alexis was done, she rushed back to the couch and quickly climbed up. She cuddled up to Kate's side and held onto the remote.

Noah slid off the cushion when the title menu came onto the screen. He stood in front of the TV and looked up at it.

"Noah, come back with us," Kate said with a laugh. The amount of love he had for Batman was adorable.

"Share popcorn!" Alexis yelled, getting Noah's attention. He looked between the screen and her before running back over to his friend.

Alexis helped pull him up and watched as he sat next to her, smiling. "Like Batman lots?"

"Lots!" Noah cheered, clapping his hands together. He looked at how Alexis was cuddled up to his mom's side. He furrowed his brow before climbing onto Rick's lap. "Batman."

"Shh. It's starting," Kate shushed.

...

When the scene where Joker tried getting into the van that held Harvey Dent played, Noah's heartbeat quickened. And Rick felt it against his arm that was around the boy.

"Noah, are you okay?" Rick whispered into his ear. He got a slow nod in return, but he made sure to hold the boy closer to him just in case.

He could feel Noah get tense when a few cars exploded under the bridge. And when the semi flipped over, Noah flinched really bad.

"Kate," Rick whispered, holding the now shaking Noah.

"Hm?"

"What do I do?"

Kate stopped playing with Alexis' hair to look over at Rick and Noah. She could see the fear written across Rick's face, which confused her. It wasn't until she saw Noah clutching onto the bottom of Rick's shirt while shaking did she realize why.

"Pause the movie," she commanded, lifting Alexis up to set the girl on the other side of her. "Come here, buddy," she murmured, arms outstretched to her son. Within seconds, he was in her arms, his little hands grasping onto her shirt for dear life. "We can stop the movie, okay?"

"I don't like that part either," Alexis said, making all eyes, besides Noah's, fall on her. "It's scary."

"Come sit with me, Pumpkin." Rick patted the spot next to him. Alexis slid off the couch and ran over to his side of the couch. She climbed back up and onto his lap. "How's your arm?"

"Itchy!" Alexis said rather loudly.

"Mine too," Rick replied with a frown.

Kate shook her head with a smile before kissing the top of Noah's head. "You alright?"

"Batman kay?"

"Batman's okay."

"No hut?"

"Not hurt at all."

Noah peeled away from his mom and looked back at the TV. "Watch Batman."

Kate glanced over at Rick, not wanting to let her little boy continue the movie. His reassuring smile made it easier to give in.

"We can finish watching the movie," she said to Noah who in return gave her a big smile.

"Itchy," Alexis grunted, causing Kate and Rick to laugh. "I want it _off_!"

"Not yet, Pumpkin. We still have quite some time until they come off," Rick said, kissing the top of Alexis' head. "Let's watch the movie."

"Batman!" Noah screamed, bouncing in his seat.

"Our little warriors," Rick said, looking between his daughter and Noah.

"Indeed," Kate agreed with a smile. "Indeed they are."

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: And now I must watch The Dark Knight within the next few days. Hope you guys enjoyed this :D<em>**


	19. Chapter 19

Kate was about to pack two sippy cups in Noah's diaper bag when she noticed that the bag was empty even though a few minutes ago it had diapers, a change of clothes and a few of Noah's favorite snacks.

"Noah, did you take your stuff out of the bag?" she asked as she walked down the hall to his room.

The moment she walked into the bedroom, she saw the diapers scattered across the floor, his clothes piled on one of his teddy bears and empty wrappers.

Noah was walking around in a tight circle, eating gummies. When he faced his mom, he stopped and smiled up at her.

"Good," he said, holding up a half bitten purple gummy.

Kate slightly shook her head and let out a laugh. "Okay, my little monster, let's grab your stuff and put it back in the bag."

Noah ran to grab his clothes, but they were lifted up before he could get them. "Mine!"

"Your hands are sticky. You grab your diapers," Kate said, ruffling his hair and getting a frown in return.

After his mom walked out of his room, Noah picked up two diapers, one in each hand. He ran out the door and down the hall. He stopped in front of the diaper bag and put them in. After, he headed to the bookshelf and looked for his favorite Spongebob book.

Within the next few minutes, soft knocks came from the door, making Noah ignore his need for the book and run for the door. Right when his hand got a good grip on the door handle, he was lifted up.

"You're not allowed to open the door," Kate said, hoisting him onto her hip. The moment she opened the door to reveal Alexis and Rick, Noah attempted to fling himself onto the floor. "Jeez."

Rick quickly took Noah out of Kate's hands before she dropped him, setting the boy on the floor next to Alexis.

"How are you, big guy?" Rick asked, ruffling Noah's hair.

"Out," Noah said, trying to push his way through Rick's legs to get into the hall.

Kate lifted him back up and spun around a few times before setting him back down. She watched him run towards his room – she distracted him.

"All set?" Rick questioned Kate, pulling Alexis' hat off her head at the same time. He watched his daughter run after Noah.

"Let me grab a few more diapers and him," Kate replied with a smile.

Just as she was about to walk away, she was pulled into Rick's arms. They were tight around her as they kissed. If it wasn't for the simple fact that the kids could come out here at any moment, the kiss probably would have gotten heated.

Rick was the first to pull away. "Go get his stuff."

"Let my mind catch back up."

Rick let out a deep laugh, which made Kate want another kiss, but they had plans and little kids in the house.

"Got, got, got," Noah chanted while running to his diaper bag. He set two more diapers in it and turned around to watch Alexis do the same. After Alexis was done, he attempted to get in the bag himself, causing her to fall over laughing.

"Did he nap today?" Rick asked, leaning around Kate to see why his daughter was laughing so hard.

"An hour nap. He fell asleep on the floor while rolling one of his cars," Kate answered, turning around to face the kids. "He should be in a good mood for you."

"I can handle it if he gets cranky," Rick leaned down to whisper into Kate's ear. "Alexis can get bad, though. She will throw a tantrum depending on how tired she is."

"Did _she _nap?"

"Of course. She slept for two and a half hours."

"Okay, good."

"Where do you plan on taking her?"

Kate walked over to the kids and bent down. "How about we let her tell you when I drop her off later?"

"That's no fun! What if we end up at the same place?" Rick asked as he wiped his wet shoes on the rug in front of the door.

"We won't," Kate answered as she took Noah out of the diaper bag. "You don't go in there, silly."

"Yes," Noah nodded really fast, attempting to go back in the bag, head first.

"He's brave," Alexis said with a big smile.

"Do you know what brave means?" Rick asked, sitting next to his daughter.

"Not scared," Alexis answered, climbing into her dad's lap.

"Very good." Kate smoothed down the little hairs on Alexis' head. "You're a smart cookie."

"Lessis no cookie," Noah shouted, causing his mouth to be covered by his mom's hand.

"Shh. Inside voices," Kate said, slowly removing her hand from over his mouth.

"When we leave, I'll let you be loud," Rick said to Noah, getting a devious smirk in return.

"If he gets out of control, I won't be there to help you," Kate added in, setting Noah in her lap and grabbing his Vans out of his bag. "And if you give him back to me all hyped up on sugar, I will kill you," she said, sliding the right shoe on Noah's foot.

Alexis tilted her head back to look up at her dad. "Where you going?" He leaned down and whispered into her ear. "Oh! I 'member going there!"

"Shh." Rick held his finger over her mouth to silence her. "It's a surprise."

"Prize," Noah repeated, exaggerating the 'z' sound.

"Yes, surprise," Kate replied, kissing the top of his head. "Let's get you in your coat."

Noah followed his mom over to the coat rack and stood still when she put his jacket on him. He watched her grab his hat and slide it over his head. He patted his hands on the top with a smile.

Rick gave Alexis a bear hug before making her get off his lap. He slowly stood up, grabbing Noah's diaper bag in the process. Once he was at the door, he shrugged the bag onto his shoulder and leaned down to kiss his daughter's forehead.

"You be good for Kate," he said with his forehead against Alexis'.

"I be good." Alexis nodded, smiling up at Kate who was now beside her.

"Of course you'll be good." Kate gently placed her hand on top of Alexis head, smoothing those annoying little hairs down since they keep popping back up.

"Ready, little guy?" Rick asked Noah who was trying to bite his coat's zipper.

"Go," Noah exclaimed, lifting his head up to view Rick's hand. He hopped up a little to grab it.

Rick let Noah hold his two fingers as he opened the door. But once he saw the look in Noah's eyes, he got a good grip on the boy's hand, so he wouldn't run forward.

"Eight o'clock?" Rick asked, turning to face Kate who was putting her coat on. He kept feeling his arm being tugged by Noah, so he looked down.

"I'll meet you then," Kate answered, pulling her hair out from the back of her coat. She held her hand out for Alexis to hold. When the three year old's hand was in her own, she walked out into the hall.

"We'll see you then," Rick said with a smile before running with Noah to the elevator. This ended up with Noah screaming with glee.

"Boys are crazy," Alexis stated her observation. "Right?" she asked, looking up at Kate with her wide blue eyes.

"Right. That's why we girls keep an eye on them."

"So they aren't bad?"

"Exactly," Kate answered as she closed the apartment door and tested the handle to make sure it was locked. She turned to Alexis and helped the girl into her rainbow colored hat. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Alexis squealed with excitement.

…..

Rick just hoisted Noah on his hip when the boy was about to run from him. He was pretty good at guessing when toddlers were about to dart forward. They usually stood still for a minute, debating whether or not to do it, before actually running off. He also didn't want Noah to run because losing him would not be fun, definitely since the kid is fearless, except for cars that is.

"See that building?" Rick questioned, pointing forward and watching Noah follow his finger.

"Go dere?" Noah asked, turning his head back at Rick.

"Yup. We're gonna go see the fishies."

"Ishies in dere?"

"Lots of fishies. They have some sharks and sea lions too."

"Shocks?"

"Sh-ar-ks," Rick sounded out, stopping in his spot to see if Noah could say the word correctly.

He didn't think Kate tried to help Noah pronounce his Rs as much as he would be. Not saying it was a bad thing, it's just that words are his thing. He got Alexis to say onomatopoeia the other day and was running around so ecstatic that his mother was ready to call the psych ward.

Noah leaned back, so he could get a better view of his big friend.

"Say sharks, buddy," Rick encouraged with a kind smile, bouncing Noah in his arm a little bit.

"Shocks!"

"Say sh."

"Shh."

"Are."

"Awe," Noah repeated with a smile that made his nose scrunch up.

"Can you say gr or roar like a dinosaur?" Rick asked, not ready to give up on this quite yet.

Noah gave Rick a puzzled look. He didn't understand what sharks had to do with dinosaurs, but he ended up getting an image of a shark/dinosaur mix.

"Roar!" Noah said with a low growl that was followed by a giggle.

"Like that! Now say sh-AR-ks."

"Shhh-arks," Noah said, clapping his hands together.

"Yes!" Rick tightly hugged the boy. "You did it!"

"Sharks, sharks. See sharks, peas."

"Please," Rick corrected, heading toward the aquarium.

After paying for the admission, technically only Rick had to pay for himself since Noah was under three years old, they headed down the pathway to the sharks. He kept checking on Noah to make sure he was okay because he was so still. The boy's eyes and mouth were as wide as they could possibly get.

Once in front of the glass that sharks were behind, Rick set Noah down in front of him.

"See the sharks?" Rick asked, pointing at the sharks that were swimming around.

When one of the larger sharks started to make its way over to them, Noah ran forward, putting his hands on the glass. He placed face between his hands and stared in awe at the giant shark.

"What do you think?" Rick squatted down next to Noah.

"Big."

"Very big." Rick nodded with a smile.

Since the large shark wasn't close by anymore, Noah started to pat his hands on the glass.

"Come back," he said.

"Don't do that." Rick gently held Noah's wrists. "Tapping glass hurts their ears."

"Shark he?"

"Sharks hear, yes," Rick answered, nodding his head.

"Other ishies?" Noah questioned, turning to his left to see more glass walls. He glanced back at Rick before running off.

Luckily Rick was fast enough to grab the back of Noah's jacket or else he would have lost the boy in the crowd of little kids. He ended up just hoisting Noah back onto his hip, which didn't result in any objections.

They stopped every few feet, so Noah could view the sea creatures. Rick was quite impressed at how attentive and still a two year old could stay. Looked like Noah really liked colorful fish.

Right when they were about to pass a giant turtle, Noah started to get squirmy. Rick held him closer to the glass, watching the boy press his face against it.

"Tuttle!" Noah cheered with a wide smile. "Want tuttle."

"You want a turtle?"

"Dat tuttle," Noah answered, pointing at the turtle that was now in front of him.

Rick let out a laugh at how wide Noah's eyes got. "You can't have that turtle, silly. He'd be too big."

"Seep in me bed." Noah nodded, liking the idea of this turtle in his room. He would be able to play, climb, touch and feed it. He needed that turtle.

"He wouldn't fit and he needs to be in water most of the time," Rick replied, turning Noah so his body would be facing the glass and his bottom on his forearm.

Noah swung his feet and kept his eyes on the turtle. "Him take baff me."

"He wouldn't fit in the tub with you." Rick laughed loud at the idea of Noah trying to take a bath with a giant turtle.

"No funny!" Noah yelled at him.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, but you can't have a big turtle. Maybe you're mommy will get you a baby one. That way you can keep it in a tank in your room."

"Beebee tuttle?"

"Yes, baby turtle."

"Want beebee," Noah screeched, patting his hands on the glass.

"How about we go find little Nemos?" Rick questioned, pulling Noah away from the glass, so they wouldn't get yelled at again. Apparently people have been kicked out for letting their children slam their hands on the glass. He didn't believe this to be true, but he didn't want to them kicked out. Not when Noah was loving this trip.

"Nemos! Want Nemos!" Noah excitedly bounced against Rick's arm, causing Rick's other arm to wrap around his stomach.

"Let's go look for them," Rick replied with a big smile.

Once they were in front of the tank that held the clown fish, Rick waited for a few people to clear out before letting Noah get a closer view.

"Nemo right dere!" Noah cheered, pressing his hands on the glass. "He little."

"He's very little. He's called a clown fish."

"Him no clown."

"No, he's not." Rick chuckled, easily giving up on trying to explain the species to a two year old.

He turned his head to the right to see a woman with her son staring at him. It was kind of creepy. And if he wasn't mistaken, he has noticed her in the other exhibits him and Noah visited.

"Doh-ee!" Noah shouted, turning his head to look up at Rick. "See?"

Rick ignored the woman to his right and leaned down so his head was next to Noah's. "Where?"

"Dere!" Noah pointed at the regal blue tang fish, which he was referring to as Dory.

"Wow. You're right," Rick said in awe. "That looks just like Dory."

"Yeah." Noah nodded with a giant smile.

Rick slowly lowered Noah, so he could give his arms a rest. He held onto the boy's hand as he was lead down the path.

It was in this moment that Noah noticed that they were completely surrounded by fish. He tilted his head back to look up while walking, which resulted in him falling down on his bottom.

"Careful." Rick let out a playful laugh, lifting Noah back onto his feet.

"You have a cute son," a woman's voice said.

Rick looked up to see the woman that he swore has been following them around. "He's not mine, but he is my girlfriend's," he responded with a gentle smile, trying not to be rude.

"You're Richard Castle, aren't you?"

Ugh. Of course on his day out with just Noah, he would get stopped by one of his creepy fans. But he had to be friendly. It wasn't in his nature to be rude, not even to fans like these.

"Yes," he answered, letting Noah lead him to the side opposite the one they were just at. The woman followed him over. He leaned down to Noah, getting the boy's attention. "Wanna go look at the jelly fish?"

"Yeah!" Noah cheered, hopping up and down while clapping his hands together.

Rick turned his head toward the woman. "Have a good day," he said, dismissing her to bring Noah to the jelly fish.

...

"What's this place?" Alexis asked, her arm wrapped around Kate's leg while waiting for Kate to pay.

"It's a science museum," Kate answered while handing their admission to the lady behind the large desk. When her change was handed back to her and she put everything back in her purse, she looked down at Alexis. "Your daddy hasn't taken you here before?"

"No," Alexis answered, quietly observing everything in the distance.

"That makes this better." Kate slid Alexis's hat off and unzipped her coat. "Let's go explore," she said, taking the girl's hand.

Kate lead Alexis to the Central Pavilion before bending down to the girl's height. "Do you see anything you want to look at?"

Alexis hesitantly walked toward the mirrors she saw. "There?"

"The hall of mirrors," Kate said with a smile. "Come on. This is fun." She took Alexis' hand and ran over to the small area.

"You go," Alexis said when they were at the entrance.

Once they began to walk around in the hall of mirrors, Alexis was in awe at how every turn they took made it seem like they haven't moved at all. She was letting Kate take the lead because adults were usually better at things like this.

Kate looked down at Alexis as she was taking a left hand turn. She ended up running right into one of the mirrors, causing Alexis to have a laughing fit. Kate rubbed her forehead and looked down at the floor where Alexis now was.

"That wasn't funny," Kate said with a laugh.

"You-you ran into it," Alexis said through her laughter.

"Okay, let's get out of here." Kate smiled, lifting Alexis into her arms, thinking it would be easier to navigate their way out this way.

It ended up taking them a little over ten minutes to find the exit because they kept almost running into mirrors. After making it out of the hall, Kate set Alexis back on the ground.

"Where else would you like to go?" Kate questioned, pulling out the map she forgot she took off the admissions desk. She knelt down by Alexis and held it out to her. "There's a sound and light exhibit and… a math one close by. Do you want to go to any of those?"

Alexis pursed her lips and looked around the area that they were in before turning back to Kate. "Others?"

"Um, science technology library, preschool place, search for life beyond earth," Kate listed off the map for this floor. "Any of those sound good?"

"You pick," Alexis said while biting down on her bottom lip.

"You choose, sweetie. This is for you, not me," Kate replied with a smile.

"Uh… preschool?"

"Sure," Kate answered, standing up to put the map back in her coat pocket. She took hold of Alexis' hand and lead her to the preschool place.

This time, Kate made Alexis walk in first to be sure the girl wanted to come in here. It looked like Alexis was about to change her mind, but instead she ran over to one of the deserted shopping carts.

Kate got down on her knees to be closer to Alexis' height. "You like this?" she asked, patting the toy cart.

"Yeah!" Alexis exclaimed, rolling it over to what appeared to be a little market area.

Kate was about to sit on the ground until Alexis looked over her shoulder at her. "Want me to come?"

"Yeah," Alexis answered with an innocent smile.

When Kate was closer to Alexis, she watched the girl study objects before putting them in her cart. It was adorable how the she would rock back and forth on her toes before selecting the right things.

Alexis was about to grab a plastic banana when a little boy was reaching for it too. "You have it," she said with a friendly smile.

"You," the little boy said, picking up the banana to hand to Alexis. "Cart?"

"Here," Alexis patted the side of her toy cart.

The little boy set it in hers before turning back to find something else.

"What do you say?" Kate said, grabbing Alexis' attention. She lifted her eyebrows until the girl figured out what she was trying to get at.

"Thank you!" Alexis said to the little boy.

"Welcome."

"Good job," Kate said, watching Alexis run over to other plastic pieces of food.

Alexis set one more item in her cart before wheeling over to Kate. "All done."

"Let's check out." Kate walked over to the toy cash registers. She turned around to see Alexis setting her stuff on the belt. She watched as the little brown haired boy, that gave Alexis the banana and reminded her of Noah, ran over to the register. "Are you going to scan everything for us?"

"Yes," the little boy answered with a smile.

After Alexis' items got scanned, she looked up at Kate. "Others?"

"Where else do you want to go, sweetie?"

"Animals?"

"They have something with them. Come on," Kate took Alexis' small hand in hers.

"Bye," Alexis waved to the little boy before being lead out of the preschool place.

The two of them ended up in the Wild Minds – What Animals Really Think exhibit. Alexis' went wide-eyed, trying to see everything all at once. She liked anything that had to do with computers and there were many in this room.

"What do you want to look at?" Kate questioned, looking down at Alexis who was still looking around.

"Puter!" Alexis shouted, pointing to a computer then another and another.

Kate chuckled as she slowly shook her head. Technology wasn't interesting to her son, but it looked like Alexis enjoyed it a lot.

She let Alexis pull her to one of the computers that had a parrot on it.

"What's it say?" Alexis asked, pointing to the screen.

"It says 'do parrots count?'" Kate read the screen.

Alexis was about to press the button in front of the computer, but her hand was stopped. She looked up at Kate who was now holding the headphones that were on the table.

"You have to put these on, so you can hear." Kate gently placed the headphones over Alexis' ears, adjusting the bar to make it fit the small head under them.

Alexis put her hands over the headphones before pressing the button. She watched the screen for a few seconds before pulling the headphones off. She handed them to Kate and ran to the display they passed a few minutes ago.

Kate practically had to run to keep her eye on the little girl. It didn't matter if her hair color stuck out in the crowd, she was small and could easily get lost. She walked up to the girl's side.

"What those?" Alexis asked, pointing to the display.

"Those are animals brains and a human brain toward that end," Kate answered, lifting Alexis up, so she could see better. "This one-" She pointed to the smallest. "-is a brain from a bird. And this one next to it from a dog."

"Little." Alexis nodded, taking in all this new information.

"But people like us have brains about this size," Kate said, pointing to the human brain. "Not that small, is it?"

"Birdies have the smallest brains."

"Yes, they do. But I think ants have even smaller." Kate placed her chin on Alexis' shoulder. "What do you think?"

"Ants are littler. They have littler brains, but we have big brains!"

"Which one looks closest to our size?"

"That one," Alexis answered, pointing to the ape brain next to the human one.

"Good job," Kate replied with a smile. "See? You're a very smart cookie."

"I'm not a cookie." Alexis giggled, tilting her head back to look up at a Kate. "I don't have choco chips."

"That's a good thing." Kate set Alexis on the ground. "Because if you did, I might eat you." She tickled the girl's sides, creating loud giggles.

When she was done being tickled, Alexis hesitantly took hold of Kate's hand again. "Others?"

"Let's look around here some more then we can go look at another exhibit."

Alexis sung their arms while walking to another display. "I love you, Kate."

Kate stopped walking to squat down in front of Alexis. She pulled her in for a big bear hug. "I love you too, sweetheart," she said, trying to fight back the happy tears that formed in her eyes. "A lot."

…..

Noah carried his giant, stuffed clown fish down the hall to Rick's loft door. When he saw his mom waiting outside with Alexis, his eyes widened before he took off running.

Kate quickly knelt down with her arms open. She hated when Noah ran into her legs since it always made her feel like he was going to knock her over. The second he was in her arms, she wrapped them around his little body.

"Did you have fun?" she asked, kissing the top of his head before looking up to see Rick unlocking the door.

"Ishie!" Noah held up his stuffed clown fish.

"Looks like Nemo," Kate said, laughing because the fish was bigger than his head.

"He clown ishie," Noah said, getting wide eyes from his mom.

"You remembered me telling you that hours ago?" Rick asked, opening the door to his loft. He watched Noah and Kate walk in. Just when Alexis was about to, he lifted her up and gave her a giant hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Daddy," Alexis replied, tightly wrapping her arms around his neck.

Rick set Alexis back on the floor before taking her coat and hat off. He watched her take her shoes off before running to the living room.

Noah stayed by the door, waiting for his mom.

"You never answered me, little guy," Rick said, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Clown ishie," Noah squealed, holding up his stuffed fish.

Alexis came running back over when Noah didn't follow her. "Fishie," she stated while looking at Noah's stuffed animal. She looked over at the bag Kate was holding. "Can I show them?"

"Let's go sit down and show them what we bought," Kate said with a smile, setting the bag down to take her coat off.

Once they were all sitting in the living room, Kate set the plastic bag on Alexis' lap. She watched the girl take the two items out.

"Glow in dark stars and planets!" Alexis ecstatically shouted while holding them up.

"They hang?" Rick asked, taking the planets from his daughter.

"Yeah. She said she wanted planets in her room and then she saw the stars. She didn't know which to choose, so I got both," Kate replied with a slight shrug.

"Did you say thank you, Pumpkin?"

"Yeah." Alexis nodded before looking over at Noah who was hitting his clown fish against the couch. "What's he doing?"

Kate leaned over to see her son. "Noah, stop."

Noah clutched the clown fish to his chest, thinking his mom was going to take it from him. "Mine!"

"Yes, that's yours, but you need to be nice to it," Kate said with her eyes narrowed.

"Okay." Noah set his clown fish next to him before sliding off the couch. "Lessis play!"

"Just for a little bit. It's getting late," Rick said, getting frowns from both kids. "But go play."

"I'll tell you abouts the science museum!" Alexis shouted, taking Noah's hand before running over to her toys.

"You took her to a science museum?" Rick asked Kate, keeping his eyes on the kids.

"Yeah. It seemed like something that she'd like."

"She loves science type things. I never thought about taking her to a science museum."

"I'm guessing you took Noah to the aquarium."

"Oh yeah. He was in awe the whole time. He only tried to run off once."

"That's good. I'll have to take him again." Kate smiled as she scooted over to lean against Rick.

"I have something for you," Rick said, leaning forward to get into his back pocket. He waited until Kate was sitting up. "Open your hand."

Kate slowly put her hand out, eyebrow quirked in confusion.

Rick set the key in her palm. "Now you have access to my place whenever you want. Well, not whenever, but you know what I mean."

The key in Kate's hand made her way more happy than it did when Sorenson gave her a key to his apartment. She enclosed her fingers around the cold object before wrapping her arms around Rick's neck.

"Thank you," she whispered into his ear before gently kissing it. "I was actually going to make you one sometime this week. You beat me to it."

"That I did," Rick responded, wrapped his arms around her. "I usually wait a lot longer with people I'm dating, but I trust you."

"I trust you, too. You haven't given me a reason not to."

"I'll try not to give you one."

Kate sat back down next to him, laying her head on his chest. "Just don't come in late at night."

Rick chuckled, slowly shaking his head. "I know my boundaries."

"You better." Kate brought her hand onto his other side.

Rick kissed her temple with a smile. Someday he was going to ask her to move in. Since his mother could live on her own and would like the idea of him living with someone like Kate, it left the guest room open to be Noah's. He couldn't let Kate know he thought like this because it might scare her off and they haven't been together that long. But hopefully they could move in together. Oh, the fun they would have together with the kids and every night…

He had to watch his daughter show Noah her toy telescope to keep his mind out of the gutter.

"What's your brilliant mind thinking of?" Kate asked, mindlessly trailing her fingers up Rick's neck, which didn't help his mindset at all.

"Uh, nothing."

"God. When do you not think about sex?"

"When you don't touch me like that."

"Right. Like I totally just made you think about it."

"You made it worse," Rick mumbled with a slight smirk.

"Little eyes and ears," Kate reminded him, letting her eyes fall on the kids.

Rick let out a loud sigh. "I know. I'd rather watch them anyway."

"You're such a liar."

"Shh."

"Maybe tomorrow," Kate said in a deep, bedroom voice.

Rick had to swallow the knot that formed in the back of his throat. She made him weak at the knees, not that he was complaining. But he did hate the fact he couldn't ravish her on the couch since the kids were in the room.

Oh well, he would get her tomorrow.

Kate lifted herself up to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for the key again."

"You're welcome."

"I love you," she happily sighed with her head back on his chest.

"I love you too, Kate. Always will."

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: Thoughts?<em>**


	20. Chapter 20

It was early in the morning on Saturday when Rick felt little, freezing hands on his arm. He wanted to ignore it and stay asleep in Kate's bed, but the little hands kept tugging on him. He eventually gave in and turned his head, opening one eye to see Noah trying to climb up on the bed.

"Hey, Chief," Rick said with a welcoming smile.

"Up," Noah said with a grunt, still attempting to climb the side of the bed.

Rick sluggishly sat up, still waking up from his amazing slumber. He slid his hands under Noah's arms and lifted the boy onto the bed. He watched Noah sit on his legs and observe his mom.

"Is Alexis still sleeping?" Rick whispered, afraid to wake Kate since he never has before. She was normally the one up and about before him.

Noah used his hands to push himself onto his feet. He glanced over at Rick with a devious grin before hopping onto his mom.

Kate bolted upright when she felt a lot of weight hit her, tired eyes as wide as they could be. She looked over at Rick before she brought her gaze onto her son who was horizontally laying across her legs.

"Mommy up," Noah excitedly cheered.

"You let him jump on me," Kate snarled at Rick. She saw how terrified he looked, which made her feel bad. "Sorry," she whispered.

"I didn't know he was going to jump on you," Rick nervously replied, keeping his eyes on Noah who was trying to pull the blankets from under his mom. "What time is it?" he asked with a slight laugh.

Kate glanced over at the alarm clock on her side of the bed. "8:30," she answered with a big yawn.

"Zoom," Noah shouted, trying to slide off the side of the bed head first.

Rick quickly leaned forward, getting a good hold on Noah's sides to lift him back on the bed. "You're very daring," he said to the boy that was now sitting in the middle of him and Kate, staring.

Noah flung himself backwards, so he would be on his back before rolling onto his stomach. He crawled to the foot of the bed to peak over the edge. He turned his head back at his mom to see her giving him a confused expression. His nose scrunched up before he looked back at the floor.

The moment Noah attempted to get off the bed headfirst again, Kate dove forward to stop him. She lifted him onto her lap and held him there, getting frustrated whines in return.

"Little boys can't dive off the bed. You will get really, really hurt. Got it?"

"I fly," Noah screamed, arching his back to try and get out of his mom's hold.

"No, you don't fly," Rick added in, scooting closer to Noah. "Only superheroes and birds can fly."

"I fly!" Noah yelled at Rick, lifting his hand up for it to be seized by his mom.

"You do _not _hit!" she scolded, bringing her son's arm by his side. She moved to the edge of the bed, letting her feet touch the cold floor. She shifted Noah onto her hip and marched out of the room. Once in Noah's own bedroom, she set him on his bed. "Five minutes of timeout," she said, getting a pouty lip and watery eyes in return.

Rick stood in the doorway to the toddler's room to observe Kate's way of discipline. It was too bad he didn't know how to discipline, but then again he didn't really have to with Alexis. The classic counting to three worked every time, but Noah wasn't Alexis. He wasn't exactly bad, he just misbehaved way more often than his daughter. Maybe it was a boy thing. Whatever the reason, it was highly entertaining. He also had to make sure to never voice that out loud with Kate around.

He watched her walk past him and into the hall right as he moved out of the way, so she could close the door. Since Noah was now screaming bloody murder, neither one of them spoke. Instead, they walked into the living room and saw that Alexis was awake.

"Morning, kiddo," Rick greeted with a gentle smile. He watched Alexis run over to him. He lifted her up just as she was about to wrap her arms around his legs.

"Why's Noah screaming?"

"He was bad," Kate answered while walking over to the kitchen to start breakfast.

"Oh," Alexis said while she watched Kate open the fridge. She turned her head back to her dad and smiled at him. "Can we go to the park?"

"It's still too cold for the park, Pumpkin."

"Why?"

"Because spring isn't for another few weeks."

"Why?"

"Stop asking why," Rick said, placing his forehead against hers.

"Why?" Alexis asked with a giggle.

"Or else the tickle monster will come out," Kate added while she took the Belgian waffle mix out of the cupboard.

"No! Don't!" Alexis squealed, trying to get out of her dad's arms. When she was placed on the floor, she ran in pursuit of Noah. Just as her hand grabbed onto the door handle to his room, her wrist was lightly grabbed. "Hey," she said, tilting her head back to see her dad.

"Hey, yourself," Rick said, guiding his daughter down the hall and back into the living room. "He can't come play until he's done with timeout."

"Fine," Alexis huffed, gently pulling her hand out of her dad's. She decided to run over to the bookshelf to pick out a story. Since Noah had a lot of books that she didn't own, it always took her forever to choose.

"Has it been five minutes?" Rick asked, walking up behind Kate to watch her pour some of the mix in a bowl into the waffle maker.

"I usually tell him five minutes, but actually wait until he quiets down. I don't want to let him come out only for him to act up again. Besides, he tried to _hit _you. That's far worse than anything he has attempted lately," Kate answered, closing the waffle maker and setting the timer on it.

"Put him in karate." Rick wrapped his arms around Kate's waist, resting his head on her shoulder. The smell of her shampoo aroused him like usual, but he knew how to get his mind off that trail, well, at least try to.

"And have him trying his karate moves on all of us? No thanks."

"Is this why you won't let him play with toy guns?"

"That's not the same." Kate tapped her nails on the countertop. "I've used a real gun on suspects and when I come home, I don't want to see him using one because it makes those memories come back."

"But a Nerf gun isn't real. They don't always hurt."

"True, but I don't want him using them."

"What about a water gun?"

"That's different."

"How?"

"Will you stop trying to get me to let my son use toy guns?"

"Fine." Rick kissed the side of her neck, noticing the chills he gave her, before he walked over to the bookshelf where his daughter was located. "Which book did you choose?"

"_Finding Nemo_," Alexis answered, holding up the Little Golden Book. She let her dad take it out of her hands and followed him to the couch, so he could read it to her. They were a few pages in when she heard feet running. "What's that?" she asked, sitting up straight to look toward the hall.

"Mommy!" Noah yelled while running. "Monster!"

Kate took the second waffle out of the maker and placed it on a plate. She turned toward her son's voice to see him standing several feet away.

"Noah, there is no such thing as monsters and I didn't say you could come out yet."

"Him in window!" Noah exclaimed, pointing toward his room. "In dere!"

Kate glanced over at Rick and Alexis. He gave her a confused shrug, not like he would know what her two year old was talking about.

"What's the monster look like?" Kate asked as she made her way over to Noah. When she was in touching distance, he ran toward his room.

"Show you," he said while running. He ended up tripping over his own feet in the hall and crawling the rest of the way. He used the door frame to pull himself to a standing position.

"Where's this…" Kate's eyebrow rose when she saw a black cat sitting on Noah's window sill. "That's not a monster," she said with a snort. She got a bewildered look from her son, which caused her to laugh even more. "That's a cat."

"No funny!"

"What's going on?" Rick asked from down the hall. He slowly walked to Noah's bedroom door and looked in.

"He thinks the cat is a monster," Kate answered with a stifled laugh, so she wouldn't anger her son again.

"That's funny," Rick replied with a grin. He watched Alexis walk into the bedroom and over to the window.

Alexis lightly tapped the glass and observed the way the cat's tail effortlessly moved. "Kitty," she said in complete awe.

Noah hesitantly walked over to the window and stared at the black cat. He hit his hands against the glass and yelled, "Mine window! Mine!" But the cat didn't budge, instead it arched its back and continued to look in the bedroom like it was mocking him.

Kate knelt down behind her son, wrapping her arms around his small body and gently pulling him away. "You need to relax. It's just a cat. Let's go eat breakfast then we are going to go to a store so I can buy you a potty chair."

"No pot-tee!"

"Yes, potty. You need to start learning how to use one." Kate gently kissed the side of his face before standing back up. She gave Alexis a warm smile before taking the girl's hand. "Do you like strawberries on your waffles?" she asked while leading the way out of the room.

"Come on, Chief," Rick said from the door.

Noah attempted to open his window to let the cat inside. He got it cracked a little until it was pushed right back down. He tilted his head back to see Rick standing behind him. His nose scrunched up as his brow furrowed in exasperation.

Rick quickly locked the window and lifted Noah under his arm like a football. "Let's go eat, little Batman."

…..

"We could have gone to a store in the city," Kate said as she opened the back door to help Noah out of his car seat.

"Walmart is cheaper and this gives me the chance to buy Alexis some more pajamas," Rick blatantly replied while he assisted Alexis with getting out of the car. He made sure to have a good grasp on her small hand because people in this parking lot weren't as cautious as he was.

Kate opened her mouth to reply to Rick when she noticed that Noah was trembling. She quickly repressed what she wanted to say and hurried to get her out of his seat and into her arms. "You're okay," she whispered into his ear as he clutched onto her shirt.

"You're very brave, Noah," Rick said from over the roof of the car. He got an uneasy frown from Kate just as his arm got tugged on. He looked down at Alexis to see her hopping while waving her arm with the cast on it. "What are you doing?"

"It itches!" she exclaimed, swinging her arm in hope it would help the itchiness.

"Mine itches too, but that won't make it go away," he laughed as he pulled the pen, out of his coat pocket. He knelt down in front of Alexis. "Watch." He put the pen halfway under his cast and moved it around to scratch his arm. The relief he had almost made him forget he was trying to show his daughter this. "Now you try." Before he handed over the pen, he made sure the top was tightly on.

"No caw," Noah whined in his mom's neck to hide from Rick since they were now standing on the opposite side of the car.

"Yes, ca_r_," Kate calmly said while using one of her hands to play with the hairs sticking out of Noah's hat at the base of his neck. "Mommy's going to buy you a toy since you were a good boy in the car. Same with Alexis." She looked down at Alexis just as she looked up.

"I get a toy?" Alexis anxiously questioned, making Rick shake his head with a smile.

"Of course you get one," Kate replied, placing her hand on the top of the smiling girl's head. "Why wouldn't you?"

Alexis shrugged as she pulled the pen out of her cast. She handed it back to her dad while taking his hand in the process. When her small hand was engulfed by his large fingers, she walked closer to Kate, letting her fingers wrap around Kate's belt loop.

"Mommy, what that?" Noah lifted his head off his mom's shoulder to point at one of the carts someone was pushing down the parking lot.

Kate stopped walking to see what her son was talking about. She let out small a small chuckle. "You know what that is, silly."

"It's a cart!" Alexis declared while swinging her dad's arm.

"You two can go in one when we get inside," Rick added while they walked to the supercenter's doors.

Once they got a cart and were past both sets of sliding doors, Kate set Noah in the seat. She pulled his hat off, followed by his coat and threw them in the front. She pulled the cart to the side, so other people could pass them while Rick navigated Alexis' arms out of her coat.

"Do you want to sit in the front of the cart?" Rick questioned as he dropped his daughter's coat and hat with Noah's.

"Can I walk?" Alexis innocently smiled up at her dad.

"Sure, but you have to stay in front of me," Rick answered as he stood next to Kate. He placed his hand on the other side of her waist as he watched Alexis hold onto the side of the cart.

Noah was _not_ going to sit in this contraption while his friend was free to wander. He waited until they were strolling down an isle with toothbrushes before he placed his hand on the bar in front of him. His bottom lifted up a bit while he slid his legs out of the holes. Since both adults were busy looking at stuff on the shelf, he thought he was going to be able to escape. He just stood all the way up on the seat when his mom turned toward him.

"No, nuh uh," she said as she guided his legs back through the holes, so he would be sitting again. "You do _not_ stand."

"Dere!" Noah shouted as he stared at his friend that was looking him.

"Alexis knows not to run off. You on the other hand will," Kate responded, placing her hands on Noah's shoulders to keep him still when he tried to stand up again.

"Hey, Noah," Rick nonchalantly said to distract the boy. He walked to the back of the cart and handed him a toothbrush. "Who's on it?"

Noah was about to throw the thing in his hand until he noticed the cartoon figure. "Batman!" he squealed with joy.

"Thank you," Kate silently mouthed to Rick, getting his charming smile in return.

After Alexis picked out a new toothbrush, since Noah had one, they made their way to the toys.

Kate promised she would get the kids one and she was going to keep that promise; once both kids saw the toy department, she wanted to change her mind.

Noah rapidly got himself on his knees, facing the opposite direction than he was just in. He bounced his bottom on his legs and pointed ahead. "Them!"

"Toys!" Alexis exclaimed, taking her hand off the cart. She was about to dart forward until she remembered that she's not supposed to take off without her dad or Kate. She turned her head toward the cart to see Kate struggling to get Noah to sit back down. "Noah, come down and pick toy with me?"

Rick and Kate shared a quick look. He shrugged, not seeing what could go wrong if both of them were with the kids while they each chose a toy.

Kate glanced down at Alexis, noticing the pouty lip she was receiving. She let out a defeated sigh. The girl's innocence was hard to say no to.

She looked down at Noah who was hanging over the back of the seat, trying to get out. She lifted him up and hesitantly set him on the ground. It was only a second after her hands were no longer in contact with his body did Noah dash for the toys.

Rick was the first to run after Noah. He almost ran into him when the boy came to a dead stop in front of the ball pit. He looked to his right to see Kate and Alexis rushing over to him and when he looked down, Noah wasn't there.

"Why didn't you grab him?" Kate growled before deserting the cart to chase her son down one of the toy isles.

"I thought he was going to take a ball out," Rick said even though he had a feeling Kate couldn't hear him. His gaze fell on his daughter who was intently eyeing him. Without thinking, he lifted her into the front of the cart, so it would be a faster method to help Kate catch Noah.

Kate just saw Noah turn down the Lego isle and now he was gone. She ran her fingers through her wavy hair as she rushed forward. She was about to head toward the baby toys when she noticed a flicker of yellow out of the corner of her eye. The moment she turned around and saw Noah's yellow shirt on the bottom shelf, she stalked over to squat down in front of him. She placed her hand on the shelf above her son for support to look under.

The sly smile Noah greeted her with made her let out a loud, exasperated sigh. "You're not getting a toy now."

"No! I sorry!" Noah shouted, climbing off the shelf and hugging his mom's side since she was still in a squatting position.

"Will you sit in the cart and be good?" Kate questioned as her arm snaked around his back.

Noah pulled away from her grasp and instead searched for her hand. Once he located it, he wrapped his fingers around two of hers. "Hand," he said with a smile.

"You're making it hard for me to stay mad," Kate said with narrowed eyes, but replaced them with a warm smile when Noah gave her a frightened stare.

"Found you!" Alexis declared from the cart. "Daddy's not a good driver. He crashed into the toys."

"I did not!" Rick exclaimed.

"But I found Rapunzel." Alexis held up the large box that held a baby version of Rapunzel. "She cute."

"She is cute," Kate said with a gentle smile.

"Daddy, can I open it now?" Alexis asked while observed her new toy.

"We have to pay for it first," Rick answered as he watched Kate stand up with Noah's right hand in her left. He found it so awesome that both kids were left handed, which made it easier to actually hold their hands – each dominant hand was always free to use.

"Now Noah needs to pick a toy," Alexis said, setting her doll down to watch out of the cart while they strolled down the toy isles.

Rick was surprised when Noah completely ignored the superhero section.

Seconds after stepping into the isle that held Nerf guns, Noah ran over to them. He struggled to pick up the gun closest to the floor. He ended up just dropping it at his feet and getting on his knees to view it.

"Good choice," Rick said, getting an intense glare from Kate. "What?" he squeaked.

"Let's not get a toy gun," Kate said to Noah as she put the box back on the shelf.

"Mine!" Noah cried out, pulling the box back onto the floor.

"Kate, this one shoots discs," Rick stated his observation of the picture on the front. "It's not like a real one."

"How about-" Kate grabbed the Nerf sword that was hanging against the wall. "-this?" She held it out to her son who looked at it, but quickly ignored her to observe the box at his feet.

"He can keep it at my place." Rick technically wasn't trying to persuade her into buying something she clearly didn't want to, but Noah really wanted it. Witnessing this cute little boy get denied a toy was hard to watch.

"Fine," Kate gave in, lifting the box up to read it. "Vortex Vigilon, glows in the dark."

"That's so cool!" Alexis interjected. "Daddy, I want one too."

"You don't want the doll?" Rick asked with his eyebrow raised.

"No, I want one of those," Alexis pleaded while pointing to the box.

"Okay," Rick bent down and grabbed the same type of Nerf gun Kate had in her hands. "Looks like you guys will be playing with these when we get home."

Kate placed the toy into the cart before she lifted Noah up. She set him next to Alexis and got no objections.

"I can't believe I'm buying him a fake gun," she mumbled when they headed away from the toy department.

"You might like playing with these together," Rick reassured, placing his fingers in her belt loop to pull her closer to him. "I promise."

"Where do you think the toddler training toilets are?" Kate asked to get away from the previous topic.

"Infants," Rick answered.

It took them awhile to locate the potty chairs. When they did, there were a few to choose from. Kate was ready to go with the cheapest one until she saw another that has two stages and could be placed on the actual toilet.

"That's the one I have at the house for Alexis. Well, I stopped using it because it was a hassle to take on and off," Rick said, subconsciously pushing the cart forward and back.

"Will he actually be sitting to pee for a long time? I don't know when boys start to stand."

"Maybe at first. Someone has to teach him how to, uh, aim."

"Right, right," Kate ended up just buying the cheapest one. Besides, it had Spongebob on it and Noah loved the cartoon. She placed it on the bottom of the cart since the kids took up most of the space.

...

Neither one of the kids were tired when they got back to Kate's apartment. Instead, they wanted to open their Nerf guns and play right away. Rick had to persuade Alexis to use the bathroom first and Kate wanted to change Noah before he got too distracted.

By the time Alexis came running out of the bathroom and back to everyone, both Nerf guns were out of their packages. Her eyes widened at her new toy and she intently observed her dad load the discs in the cartridge.

"Here you go," Rick said, handing the Nerf gun to her. He watched her place her finger on the trigger and stick her tongue out as she pushed down. When a disc flew across the room, he cheered, "Good job!"

"It went far!" Alexis yelled, grabbing Noah's attention. "Watch, Noah." She pushed down on the trigger again to make another disc fly out.

"Me do," Noah said, reaching for the gun in his mom's hands. The moment it was in his hold, he didn't know what to do with it.

"I'll show you," Rick said, scooting on his bottom to be next to Noah. He guided the boy's left finger to be over the trigger and placed the other hand to steady the gun. "Now bring your finger toward you as hard as you can."

Noah grunted as he pulled the trigger. It took several tries for him to get the motion down and when he got discs to shoot out, he almost dropped his toy in excitement.

"Just no shooting at anyone's face, got it?" Kate questioned while she placed herself in her son's view.

"No face," Noah repeated with a smile. He bit down on his bottom lip and aimed the gun to the ceiling. As he was pulling the trigger, he lost his balance from looking up.

"You have to admit, watching them play with these Nerf guns is adorable," Rick said to Kate with a sideways smile as he helped Noah back onto his feet.

"Sadly, I admit it," she replied as his arm slid around her waist.

They watched the kids run around the living room, getting completely engrossed with their new toys. It was Noah who took the first attempt to actually aim at Alexis. When the disc came in contact with her stomach, she pretended to fall on the ground and play dead.

Noah's eyes went as wide as they could. He looked over at his mom and Rick before running to them. "I not mean it," he whined, climbing into his mom's lap to hide in her shirt.

"Aw, sweetie, she's just kidding. Look." Kate slowly and gently pealed Noah off of her and faced him toward the now standing Alexis. "She's just playing."

"I saw-wee, Lessis," Noah said while rubbing his nose with his free hand.

"I get you now!" Alexis screamed, running around the coffee table to get closer to Noah who was now crawling away.

"See?" Rick lightly nudged Kate's arm. "He knows they are bad. You taught him well."

"Mm." Kate let her head lay on his shoulder. "Let's see if I can potty train him."

"I think you will be able to do it."

"Yeah, but I can't teach him how to aim," Kate let out a laugh, louder than she intended.

"When the time comes, I can, um, show him?"

"Really?" Kate lifted her head up to look at the man next to her. He was slightly uncomfortable with the idea, but she knew it was only because he didn't know how she would react. And since he was willing to help her get Noah out of diapers, how could she say no? Besides, they've been together for a while now and Noah really, really liked him.

"I mean if you want me to."

"That'd be nice," Kate replied with a smile before planting a gentle kiss on his cheek.

Rick grinned when her lips were against his skin. He loved getting the chance to father Noah and this was one of the biggest opportunities he's had so far. He wasn't uneasy about the idea of helping Noah use the potty, he was actually anxious. His father wasn't around to show him the ropes of things and Sorenson wasn't really in Noah's life either. Being the one to teach the boy certain necessities of life was an honor.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Blame college and work for the long delay.<strong>_ _**Sigh. At least summer vacation is in a couple of weeks :D**_


	21. Chapter 21

Alexis peeked her head into her dad's office to find him and Kate both talking. They didn't pay any attention to her, so she ran back over to the kitchen. Once she was next to Noah, she placed her hand on top of his head.

"You needs a haircut," she said in a solemn way.

"No cu_t_," Noah replied, shaking his head to get her hand off.

"But you has to. If you don't, you a doggy!"

"Batman!" Noah excitedly clapped his hands together when the thought of his favorite superhero randomly reached his mind.

"Batman has no hair."

Noah ignored his friend and started to open the drawers closest to his level. He pulled out a wooden spoon and waved it in the air.

"No," Alexis said, taking the spoon from him. "Cut hair."

"Do that?"

"I show you," Alexis gave Noah a devious smirk before picking up the small pair of pink scissors off the floor. "Sit, please."

Noah plopped down on the floor, inserting his hoodie string into his mouth. He chewed on it while he waited for whatever it was Alexis wanted to do.

"You gots to stay still," Alexis stated because Noah was being squirmy. She took a handful of his hair into her right hand and brought the scissors to it.

"What?" Noah questioned, quickly turning his head around to see a frightened look on her face. "What doing?"

"Uh oh," Alexis murmured, holding the chunk of hair in her hand. "I told you to stay still!"

"What dat?" Noah pointed to the hair in her hand. "Fu_zzy_!"

"Shh," Alexis hushed, glanced around the island to see if their parents were coming out, but they weren't. She turned back toward Noah who was opening the cupboard beside him.

"Cut in dere?" he questioned, sticking his head in the cupboard.

"Yes," Alexis answered, setting the scissors back on the floor.

"Show Momm-ee," Noah exclaimed before he quickly brought himself onto his feet. He ran toward Rick's office, dodging the furniture that he normally ran into. His small footsteps brought his mom's eyes on him and he smiled up at her. "Lessis, cut," he shouted, patting his hands on his head.

Kate glanced over at Rick who was already getting out of his chair. She took no time to place herself in front of Noah and squat down.

"What did Alexis do, sweetie?"

"Cut." Noah nodded, rubbing his hands through his hair. "Aw gone."

"It's not all gone, Chief," Rick said with a gentle smile before walking over to the door that led into the living room. "Alexis, can you come here a minute."

"Aw gone. Aw gone," Noah repeated with a toothy smile at his mom.

"It's not all gone, silly," Kate replied, running her hand down the back of his head. Her hand came to a halt when she felt hairs that were a lot shorter and not as soft. "Rick, tell me if his hair is uneven right here."

Rick turned around and knelt down behind Noah. He watched Kate's fingers move away from the spot she wanted him to check out. His eyes widened at the difference, even though it wasn't by too much.

"Alexis!" Rick yelled this time, pushing his hands on his knees to help himself stand. He walked out of his office and made his way into the living room. "Alexis Castle!"

"What, Daddy?" Alexis questioned from the bottom of the stairs.

"Did you cut Noah's hair?"

"Yes," Alexis blatantly answered as she walked down the remaining stairs before running into the kitchen. She picked up her small pair of scissors and brought them over to her dad. "Just a little."

"You do _not_ cut anyone's hair," Rick said in a threatening way. His daughter has never done anything this bad. Yeah, she's drawn on the walls when she was two, and flushed things down the toilet, but never something like this.

"But he say I could!"

"It doesn't matter. You use your play scissors in your room if you want to cut his hair, not the ones for arts and crafts."

"But, _Daddy_!"

"No, Alexis. What you did was very, very bad and now you will have to sit in timeout. Do you understand?"

"I don't want to!" Alexis screamed, crossing her arms as tears started to run down her cheeks.

"What did I say about yelling at me? It doesn't make anything easier," Rick calmly said, even though his daughter's reaction made him nervous.

"I don't want to," Alexis cried again while using the back of her hand to wipe away the fresh tears.

"I know you don't, but you were bad and you have to face the consequences of your actions." Rick slid his hands under Alexis' armpits, lifting her onto his hip. It wasn't until he was walking up the stairs did she start screaming and kicking.

"I don't want to! I don't want to!"

Rick bit down on his tongue, trying with all his might to not set his daughter down and let her get away with this. He's seen Kate smoothly set Noah in his room and he wanted to be able to do that.

He walked into Alexis' bedroom and set her in the middle of her bed. "Since you were screaming and kicking, you get ten minutes of timeout," he muttered as he walked over to the door.

"I don't want them!"

Rick stepped into the hall, closing Alexis' door. He leaned his head against it while looking up at the ceiling. That was the hardest thing he's had to do with her. She was never the type to kick and scream like that. And to top it all off, she wasn't even tired because she woke up from her nap an hour ago. It didn't make any sense.

He ran his hands down his face before descending the stairs. When he stepped off the last one, he turned his head to the left to see Kate looking in the fridge with Noah securely on her hip.

"Hey," Rick managed to say through his foggy mind.

"Do you have apple juice?" Kate questioned, turning her head toward him. She slightly narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out what kind of expression he was wearing. After she understood, she spoke again. "It's hard."

"What's hard?"

"Disciplining."

"Yeah," Rick replied as he took a seat on one of the stools.

"You think it'd be easy since we saw our parents do it, but it's really not."

"You do a pretty good job at it."

"I have to. It took me a few attempts to get it down, get this little rugrat to listen and understand why," Kate spoke with a smile as she lightly tickled Noah's sides, creating a few giggles.

"Has he ever reacted like that?" Rick inquired, pointing his finger up at the ceiling.

"Of course, but he didn't just scream and kick. He actually hit me in the face and you've heard how he screams," Kate responded as she finally found the jug of apple juice.

"No hit," Noah said, watching his mom take the juice out of the fridge and placing it on the counter.

"That's right. No hit." Kate planted a soft kiss on his forehead.

"So how do you not feel like the most horrible parent in the world?" Rick asked, smiling at the way Noah was observing the juice being poured into his sippy cup.

"How do I not feel like a horrible mom when putting him in timeout? I think it's the smiles he gives me and the hugs. It's like he knows he was bad and is sorry, so he hugs me. I don't really know if that makes sense," Kate explained with a shrug while she tightly twisted the cap on Noah's cup.

"It makes sense."

"Besides, it's not like she will hate you forever. She's three. She can't exactly hold a grudge. Now when she's sixteen… that'd be a whole different story."

"Sto-ee!" Noah exclaimed with juice in his mouth, making most of it drip down his chin and land on his shirt.

"We can read a story in a second," Kate retorted, subconsciously using her sleeve to wipe Noah's mouth.

"I just can't believe she cut some of his hair," Rick mumbled with his face in his hands.

"It's okay. I'm just glad it wasn't shaved or anything. I don't want to get rid of these curls." Kate ran her fingers through Noah's soft hair.

Rick peered through his fingers. "I wouldn't either."

Kate rounded the island and lightly kissed Rick's temple. "Stop being so hard on yourself."

"I'll try," Rick murmured with a sideways grin.

"Do you want to read a story with us?"

"Batman in dere," Noah proclaimed, pointing toward Rick's office with his sippy cup.

"Yes, let's all read a Batman comic," Rick responded with a warm smile at the boy, getting one in return.

…..

It felt like hours since Alexis has been sent to her room. She didn't like timeout because it involved being isolated from everyone.

She sat up and stared at the door, hoping that it would open, so she could go back downstairs and play with Noah. He was her best friend, besides Paige, and she hated being in trouble when he was around; it made timeout go by even slower.

To make time go faster, she slid off the side of her bed and ran over to her chalkboard. She picked up a piece of purple chalk and began to draw a picture of the people she loved the most. The first person she drew was Daddy who was followed by Grams. Next came Noah, which proved to be hard to draw since she's never drawn a small stick figure. After she finally got him on the board, she drew Kate. She placed the chalk back in the tray and stood back a few paces.

"Pretty," she said with a smile and small nod. She turned back toward the closed door, wondering when timeout was going to be over.

…..

Noah rolled a baseball along the floor until it hit the bottom of the stairs. He looked up to see that the gate, which normally blocked his way, wasn't there. He whipped his head around to see nobody paying any attention to him. A mischievous smile made its way across his face before he decided to climb up the stairs.

When he was halfway up, he slowly moved to the railing bars, pressing his face against them. His mom was still on her phone and Rick was clicking through the channels on the TV. He brought his hand through the bars and waved, even though nobody was watching, before he continued to ascend the stairs.

Once he was in the hall, he ran for Alexis' room. He placed his hand on the door handle and turned it, using a little force to get it to crack open. With both hands on the door, he pushed it, so he could clearly see the bright bedroom.

"Noah!" Alexis cheered when she saw her little friend standing in her doorway, arms still extended. His surprised look made her giggle while she ran over to him. "What're you doing?"

"Scape," Noah replied while nodding his head incredibly fast, but got a confused stare from Alexis. He pointed down the hall. "Fly down," he tried to explain.

"Escape? We need capes!"

"Capes!" Noah repeated, following his friend over to her closet. She opened it quicker than he would have been able to.

Alexis looked up at her capes that were out of reach. She turned around, searching for something to stand on to grab them, but there wasn't anything. Her head snapped back to her closet when she heard Noah grunt; he was hopping at the capes.

"Down, down!" Noah yelled at the pieces of fabric.

Alexis chuckled before an idea struck her. She ran away from the closet and directly to her small bookshelf. She took four books that were thicker than most and crawled while pushing them back to the closet. She stacked them under the capes and stepped on them. Her hand stayed on Noah's head for balance and he surprisingly stood still. It took her a few tries, but she finally got two of her capes in her hand and yanked them off, causing her to fall on her bottom.

"Ow!"

"Uh oh," Noah murmured with wide blue eyes. "Fall down."

"That hurt," Alexis pouted as she stood up, rubbing her bottom in the process. "But I gots the capes!"

Noah snatched the green one out of her hands and put it around him. He struggled to put the Velcro strips together and ran away from the closet when he got them.

"Batman!" he screeched in the middle of the room.

"Wait!" Alexis yelled from her closet. She opened the large plastic tub under all of her clothes and fished out the Batman and Wonder Woman masks. Once she had both of them, she ran over to Noah and helped him get the mask on. "Batman."

"Batman!" Noah squealed with joy. He started to dash forward, but was grabbed back by his cape.

"Let me get mine," Alexis said, letting go of the silk cape in her hand. She placed her mask on then stood in one spot, superhero stance. "Lots of evil out there, Batman."

"Jails for dem," Noah nodded, holding his mask to his face, afraid it might come off.

"Let's go!"

They both ran out of her room at the same time and down the hall. Noah was the first to step toward the stairs, squatting down, so he could see better.

"What're you doing?" Alexis questioned, copying him.

"Mommy, shh," Noah said way above a whisper, causing Alexis to laugh.

"What's that?" Rick asked aloud, reaching for the remote to turn the volume down. He glanced over at Kate who was intently watching him and setting her phone on the couch. He slowly got off the cushion and stood up to hear more giggling. "Do you hear that?"

"Uh, no?"

"Follow me a second," Rick beckoned while striding over to the stairs. He walked up the few steps to the square landing until he noticed the kids in capes and masks. "What are you two doing?"

Kate walked onto the landing, so she could see who Rick was talking to. When she saw her son sitting on the stairs with a cape on, her heart plummeted to the bottom of her stomach.

"Distract them," she anxiously whispered only loud enough for Rick to hear. Thankfully he understood what she was getting at.

"What superheroes are you?" Rick inquired while Kate gradually moved up the stairs.

"I'm Wonder Woman, Daddy," Alexis said with a big smile. She looked over at Noah who was now standing and watching Kate walk toward them.

"Batman fly!" Noah shrieked with both arms in the air, hopping forward without thinking twice about it.

"Noah, no!" Kate screamed, running forward to catch him seconds before his body came in contact with the stairs. The impact from grabbing him made her lose the footing she had on the stairs. She started to fall backward, but grasped onto the railing, with one hand, just in time.

Rick darted up the stairs to help steady Kate while she got a better hold on Noah.

"Jesus Christ, Noah," Kate said through gritted teeth, hoisting her son onto her hip.

"Mommy, fly!" Noah cried out, trying to get out of his mom's grasp.

"You're not allowed to fly," Rick said since he had a feeling Kate was still trying to calm her heart rate down.

"I Batman," Noah whined, pushing his mask closer to his face.

"Yes, you're my little Batman, but that doesn't mean you can fly," Kate responded in a small whisper while walking down the remaining steps to go sit on the couch and calm her nerves.

Rick watched them go into the living room before he brought his gaze to the top of the stairs to see Alexis trying to fix her mask. He climbed up to her and slowly sat down.

"You were supposed to stay in your room."

"Noah came in and played," Alexis replied, looking up at her dad with a smile.

"Are you sorry for cutting his hair?"

"I'm sorry, Daddy." Alexis dove into his side, giving him a tight, loving hug.

"Let's tell Kate and Noah you're sorry."

"Why?"

"Because Kate doesn't want Noah to have a haircut."

"Okay."

Rick stood up and lifted Alexis under his arm. He ran down the stairs and swung her around a few times before setting her back on the floor. He watched her wobble over to Kate and stand in front of her.

"I'm sorry for cutting Noah's hair," Alexis apologized with an innocent smile.

Kate pulled the remote out of Noah's hands before she looked down at Alexis with a warm grin. "It's okay, but next time you want him to have a haircut, come tell me or your dad, okay?" she questioned, holding the remote above her head, so Noah couldn't get a hold of it again.

"Okay." Alexis nodded, climbing onto the couch to sit next to Kate.

Noah gave up on trying to get the remote and started to climb the back of the couch. He got himself to hang over a little before he was snatched and placed on his mom's lap.

"Stop causing so much trouble. Batman doesn't cause trouble, he stops it," Kate said, kissing the area near Noah's ear and creating high pitched squeals and giggles.

"Do Batman and Wonder Woman want a snack?" Rick casually asked, getting a giant smile from Kate, even though he had a feeling it was actually caused by Noah's laughter.

"Watermelon!" Alexis exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air, getting shot a playful smile from Kate, which made her giggle.

"We don't have watermelon, but you can come pick something out," Rick replied with an encouraging look.

…..

"If you were two, where would you hide?" Kate questioned, putting her phone on the other ear.

"He's hiding from you?" Rick asked with a snort.

"I told him he had to try and use the potty before bed, ten minutes later, I can't find him."

"Hold on. Let me ask an expert I know… Alexis, where do you like to hide?"

Kate leaned her back against the kitchen counter, deliberately scanning the full living room for a clue as to where Noah would be hiding. She stopped when she heard Alexis' little voice through the phone.

"Closets, kitchen, umm, beds, that," Alexis stated with a great deal of excitement.

"Did you try the kitchen cupboards?" Rick inquired.

"Oh, that's a good idea. Hold on a second." Kate placed her phone on the countertop. She opened the cupboard under the sink. Nothing. She side stepped to the one that normally held cereal and opened it.

Noah was sitting in the cupboard with a box of Lucky Charms in his lap. He stuffed his mouth with some of the pieces in his hand before turning his head.

"Want 'ome?" He held out the remnants of the cereal he stuffed in his mouth.

"You're too cute, but next time you want a snack, tell me," Kate stated with a benign smile followed by a laugh. She stood back up to grab her phone. "He was in the cupboard eating cereal," she spoke. Rick's light chuckles made her wish she could see him right this second and kiss his soft lips.

"Mommy, got!" Noah squealed, throwing the cereal box out of the cupboard before following it. He stayed on his hands and knees while picking up the Lucky Charms that flew out of the box and stuffing them in his mouth.

"What did he say?" Rick asked through the phone.

"Mommy, got," Kate answered, bending down to help Noah pick up the cereal. She rested her phone on her shoulder, so she could still talk to Rick. It wasn't until Noah coughed did she realize he was eating the cereal from the floor. "Noah, no," she disapproved, snatching his wrist just as his hand reached his face. The wide, captivating blue eyes that illustrated fear made her let out a gentle laugh. "You're not in trouble. You're just not allowed to eat food off the floor, okay?"

Noah opened his hand and let the Lucky Charms fall back on the floor. He kept opening and closing his small fist because his fingers were now sticky and he didn't understand why.

"So what are you guys up to?" Kate asked Rick while she continued to assist Noah with cleaning up his mess.

"I just gave Alexis a bath and now we are both coloring in the living room. She's hogging the blue," Rick answered in an almost whisper.

"I'm not!" Alexis shouted loud enough for Kate to hear.

"This is why she doesn't cuddle with you. You aggravate her on purpose," Kate said with a suppressed chortle.

"Her reactions make it hard not to. And you're telling me that you never annoy Noah on purpose to see how he would act?"

"Not really because unlike Alexis, he gets furious."

"Hmm…"

"Don't you dare annoy Noah the next time you see him."

"Fine," Rick sighed.

Kate held out her hand and watched Noah set the Lucky Charms in her palm. She stood up, walked over to the trashcan and dropped the cereal in. When she spun back around, she noticed Noah was trying to close the box.

"Help," Noah whined, pulling at the cardboard strips. He concentrated on his mom's hands when she closed the cereal box for him. She did it so fast, making him look up at her with marvel.

"Now put it back."

Noah picked up the box, sticking his tongue out, as he carried it back to it's spot. Once it was in, he slammed the cupboard shut.

"Jesus, Noah," Kate proclaimed, placing her hand over her heart. "Not necessary."

"That made me jump too," Rick declared.

"Potty," Noah shouted, grabbing his mom's free hand.

"Rick, I'm going to call you back," Kate spoke at an extremely fast speed.

"Talk to you before you sleep," Rick responded, his smile noticeable through his voice.

Kate set her phone on the counter before lifting Noah into her arms. She darted to the bathroom and set him down. After sliding his pajama bottoms and pull-up to his knees, she let him sit on the chair.

"Mickey," Noah said, touching the illustration on his pull-up.

"Yes, that's Mickey," Kate replied with a kind grin, taking a seat in on the edge of the tub.

It felt like hours until Noah practically hopped off the potty chair, but in reality it was only about ten minutes.

Kate rushed over to the chair and looked in. "You did it!" she cheered, picking up her son to spin him around and smother him in kisses. "You did it, you did it!"

"You did it!" Noah repeated with just as much excitement. He was placed back on the floor before he peered into his potty chair. He didn't fully understand _what_ he did, but his mom was happy, which made him happy.

Kate took the medium sized basket off the sink and bent down beside Noah. "Now you get to choose a small toy."

While Noah looked through the basket of small cars, monster trucks, and various Little People figures, Kate carefully yanked his pull-up back to his waist followed by his pants.

"You did it sweet boy, you did it," she planted a soft kiss on his forehead.

"This," Noah blurted out, grabbing onto the lime green and black monster truck.

"Mommy's going to bring home ice cream tomorrow after work. We will celebrate," Kate told him, even though she had a gut feeling that he didn't apprehend.

...

That night her bed felt empty.

Kate rolled onto her side and unlocked her phone to view the picture of her little boy and Rick in superhero masks. She had an adoring smile across her face and when Rick's name came on the screen, her heart skipped a beat.

"Hey," she answered making her happiness highly apparent.

"Just got the little one down and opened my phone to a picture of Noah's potty chair?"

"He peed in it!"

"Are you serious?"

"I'm very serious. He sat on it for a long time, longer than I anticipated, but he did it!" she squeaked.

"You sound really cute when you're ecstatic," Rick said as he climbed into his bed.

Now she was blushing and her stomach was filled with butterflies. God, the things this man did to her could fill a book.

"It's lonely without you next to me," he confessed, looking over at the bare spot next to him. "And cold."

"I hear you."

"Did I just comprehend correctly? Did you just agree with me?"

"Don't sound so surprised," Kate muttered while she smiled and bit down on her bottom lip.

"Layer by layer."

"Hm?"

"Nothing."

"Uh huh. So what did you guys do after I hung up?"

"Finished coloring then got a snack. She wanted to call Noah and tell him goodnight, but you usually put him to sleep before I put her to sleep."

"I have to get up earlier and he's usually cranky before 9 o'clock," Kate nonchalantly defended herself.

"Hey, I'm not saying it's a bad thing at all. She just couldn't talk to him when she wanted."

"I know."

"Okay, _so_ what are you wearing?"

"Oh. My. God."

"I'm kidding," Rick loudly chuckled while he laid his head down on the pillow.

"I honestly think that you're not kidding."

"Busted."

"Seriously?"

"No. Why would I want phone sex when I could get the real thing?"

"Who says you're going to be getting the real thing?"

"Oh, I see what you're trying to do."

"What exactly am I trying to do?" Kate questioned in a deep, mocking tone.

"You're attempting, and failing by the way, to make me think that I won't be able to get you to have sex with me."

"How am I failing exactly?"

"Because I know your weak spots."

Kate scrunched up her nose, fishing for a good response, but ended up coming up empty handed. Crud.

"I win," Rick murmured.

"Fine, whatever. You win."

"I'm really liking all this admittance you're giving me tonight."

"Don't get used to it," Kate mumbled, rolling her eyes even though he couldn't see.

"Okay, I won't."

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to each other's breathing. It was honestly quite ridiculous how much they couldn't stand being apart for less than twenty-four hours. Every second they aren't in each other's sight; they yearn for the closeness, the scent of one another.

"You love me. Real or not real?" Kate eventually whispered in the phone, closing her eyes when she heard his mouth open and let out a happy sigh.

"Real. Definitely real," Rick hummed, paying close attention to the joyous breaths he could hear.

"You wish I was there with you. Real or not real?"

"Real. Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Rick answered, turning his head toward his alarm clock. "I should let you sleep, you have to get up early."

"I'll text you throughout the day since Noah is going with my dad."

"Okay." He paused. "I love you, Kate."

"I love you too, Ricky," Kate smirked.

"Until tomorrow, Detective Tease."

"Until tomorrow."

Rick ended the call and held his phone on his chest. They never had exceptionally long conversations before they went to bed, but they were always meaningful.

He picked up on the real or not real thing when he found out that Kate had read those books, upon many others, but that was the only thing he remembered in _The Hunger Games_, that and the whole ordeal with the districts. He only read them because Alexis wanted him to read them to her and he had to make sure he could beforehand, and he obviously couldn't because of many reasons.

Right when he turned onto his side to try and fall asleep, he heard distant knocking.

It was 10:30 at night, who the hell could be at the door?

He threw the blankets off of himself and slid out of bed. He quickly patted his body to make sure he had a shirt on, and he did.

When he walked out of his bedroom and office, the knocking was louder, indicating that it was coming from _his_ loft door. He sluggishly walked to the noise and unlocked the handle, deadbolt, and chain. Usually he would look through the peephole, but his mind was still trying to wrap itself around his conversation with Kate.

Once he had the door open and he saw who was in front of him, his heart dropped. This couldn't be true. Normally there would be some kind of warning, but then again he didn't check the new voicemails he received today. Now he was wishing he did because he would have had time to prepare for this, for her.

For Meredith.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Awe yeah. Inserted some of my favorite books into this chapter.<strong>_


	22. Chapter 22

"Meredith, what are you doing here?" Rick questioned, still blocking the entrance into his loft.

"I tried to call you a few times earlier to tell you I was in town. I was hoping to see Alexis," Meredith replied with a wide smile. "And you."

Rick ran his hand down his face, trying to think of the right thing to say. He was with Kate, but Meredith didn't exactly know. It wasn't his fault she wasn't aware that he wasn't single. Maybe if she called to check in with Alexis more often, then she would, since that's the only person Alexis talked about with anyone, Kate and Noah.

"Are you going to let me in or what?" Meredith inquired with a playful smile, the one she normally used before they ended up in the bedroom.

"No."

"What?"

"No. You're not staying here."

"Then where am I supposed to stay? Don't you want to…" Meredith walked her fingers up Rick's arm. When they were grabbed and placed down by her side, she became confused.

"You can sleep in the guest room for tonight, but for the days after you are to sleep at a hotel."

"I don't understand…"

Rick stood out of the way and motioned his arm for Meredith to enter the loft. He waited in silence until her shoes and coat were off before he took her bags. He carried them to the stairs and slowly climbed up. Once in the guest bedroom, he turned the light on with his elbow and set the bags down. When he turned around, Meredith was leaning against the door frame and it looked like her eyes were undressing him.

"Uh, the blankets are clean and everything," Rick stammered as he pushed past her.

"Why the cold shoulder?"

"I have a girlfriend."

"What?"

Rick slowly faced his ex-wife to find jealousy written all across her face. He wanted to be immature and point it out, but he had to be the adult.

"I have a girlfriend. Her name's Kate and we have been together for five months, going on six."

"Oh…"

"So if you don't mind sleeping in the guestroom for the night, I'm going to bed," Rick said as he headed toward the stairs.

"Is she good with Alexis?"

He spun around. "Yes, she's amazing with Alexis and her little boy, Noah. They are all really close with each other and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Alright. Goodnight," Meredith replied, stepping into the guest room and closing the door behind her.

Rick leaned against the wall, trying to figure out if Meredith was planning on doing something that would jeopardize his and Kate's relationship. Knowing Meredith, she probably would, but he wouldn't let that happen.

He let his gaze fall on Alexis' bedroom door and before he knew it, he was stepping into the toddler's bedroom. A large grin made its way across his face when he noticed his little girl cuddled up with her stuffed monkey, smack dab in the middle of the mattress.

He knelt down beside her and ran his hand down her soft, damp hair. She was so peaceful when asleep, not saying that she wasn't when awake, but it was more noticeable. Her little breaths made him wish he could just pick her up and hold her like a baby, so it would be easier to protect her from tomorrow.

Meredith was probably going to bring high happiness to Alexis, but he knew it wouldn't last long because after every visit, his little girl would be upset for days straight. He hated when it happened, he wished he could prevent it, but this was Alexis' mother, albeit her inactive mother, she had rights nonetheless.

Rick planted a gentle kiss on Alexis' little nose. "Sweet dreams, Pumpkin," he whispered before standing back up.

As he was walking down the stairs, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and navigated to Kate's name. He knew she would definitely be asleep, but he had to tell her about Meredith or maybe he should wait to do it in person. Then again, his ex-wife was falling asleep in his home and Kate probably would not approve. Hell, he wouldn't like it if Sorenson crashed at her apartment.

He stared at the blank text on his screen, deciding it was best to wait until the morning, after she's had her coffee. Talking to her when she just woke up, no caffeine running through her system, was not fun. That was why he always made sure to wake up _after_ her, so he knew that she made and drank a cup of coffee.

…..

The sight when Kate walked into the kitchen made her skid to a complete halt. There were streams and small handprints of paint all over the floor and cupboards. The footprints her eyes eventually fell on led across the floor and on the rug. Her head snapped to the couch to find that no paint was on it, thank God.

It took her a few moments to come to terms with what was all over her apartment. After she did, she stomped off after her son. The green and yellow footprint trails took her to the bathroom. Since the door was cracked, she lightly pushed on it until it was completely ajar.

Noah was standing in the tub, turning the faucet on. He squatted down to put his hands under the cool water.

"Aw clean," he said to himself when his hands were clear of paint. Once he stood back up and turned to see his mom, his eyes widened. He thought she was still in her room getting dressed.

Kate didn't even know how to react to her son. He had never done anything this bad and him being in the tub to clean himself was cute, but she couldn't let him know that. He would think that his actions were okay and probably repeat them.

"Noah James Beckett," she finally said with her arms folded across her chest. She had to fight the urge to smile when he placed his hands over his eyes to hide. "You're in huge trouble."

"I not do it," Noah screamed, turning around to face the wall of the tub.

Kate marched over to the tub and knelt down. She turned the faucet off and lightly placed her hands on her son's shoulders. When she turned him toward her, he was peeking through his fingers. It wasn't until then did she realize he had globs of paint throughout his hair.

She let out a loud, exasperated sigh. She just gave him a bath this morning since he peed through his pull-up during the night. Looked like she was going to have to give him another one, after the mess he created was clean.

"Once we clean up the paint and I give you a bath, you're going in timeout. Understand?"

Noah took his hands away from his eyes and observed his mom. She was furious at him, but he didn't completely understand as to why because she told him he could paint today.

"Come on," Kate said, lifting him out of the tub. She was about to set him down until she remembered seeing little footprints of paint on the floor. She set him back in the tub and turned the faucet on until it was warm enough. "Stand closer to the water, buddy."

Noah listened because he didn't want to get in any more trouble than he already was in. Besides, he liked playing with water while he was still clothed. And when his mom's hands were cleaning the paint off between his toes, he let out loud screeches followed by giggles. His laughter ended up making him fall onto the bottom of the tub, causing his pants, from the ankles to the knees, to get soaked.

"Oh my goodness, Noah," Kate said, biting down hard on her bottom lip. It was seriously impossible to stay mad at him when he acted like this, so innocent and happy.

She finished getting the paint off his feet before assisting him out of the tub. She had to keep her arm hooked around his body to stop him from running off. Drying off his feet created high-pitched giggles, which made her smile again.

"Let's go clean up your mess," she managed to say with an angry tone.

"Mess!" Noah repeated, taking his mom's hand as he was led into the hall. His eyes fell onto his handprints on the wall. "Paints you!" he shouted while he pointed at them.

"You're supposed to paint on paper only."

Kate lifted her son up and carried him into the kitchen. She placed him on a spot that wasn't covered in paint while she opened the cupboard under the sink. She pulled out two sponges and the small bucket she placed in here. Once she had everything out, she stood up and put the bucket in the sink. While it was filling, she faced her son who was chewing on the collar of his t-shirt and observing her.

"Don't do that to your shirt, okay?" she questioned as she faced the sink again to see the bucket full with warm water. She hoisted it out and placed it on the floor. "Come here, trouble maker."

Before she dunked the sponges into the water, she wanted to take a picture of his mess and send it to Rick. He didn't believe the terrible twos existed since Alexis' behavior when she was that young wasn't as bad as Noah's. But now she had proof, so she yanked her phone from her pocket and snapped a few photos of the kitchen and the living room before sending.

After she set her phone back on the counter, she became shocked to see that Noah didn't move from his spot the entire time. It wasn't until she was bent down by the bucket did he slowly walk over.

"We're going to clean this up together, understand?" She picked up one of the sponges, wringing it on in the process before handing it her son. He stared at it in amazement until he began to bring it to his mouth. "Ah, ah, ah." She placed her hand on the sponge to stop it from reaching his lips. "Watch me."

Noah intently watched his mom use her sponge to wash off the paint on the cupboards. He quickly placed his in the water and let it drip over to one of the cupboards. Both of his hands kept a good grip on it as he moved it side to side.

"Aw clean. Aw clean."

Kate smiled and finished washing the other cupboards while Noah worked on his. When they were completely clear of paint, she moved onto the floor. At this time, she noticed a puddle of water flowing to her. Her eyes followed the thin stream to the source, which was Noah splashing his sponge in the bucket. Her hand slapped onto her forehead as her eyes shut.

"Noah, stop," she demanded, getting a sly grin in return.

"Clean."

"Yes, but you're making a bigger mess." She motioned to his spills on the floor.

"Clean!" He picked up his sponge and ran over to her, which resulted in him slipping and falling on his stomach.

Kate held her breath, awaiting the loud wails to escape her son's mouth, but when her ears were met with giggling instead, she exhaled.

"How about we give you a bath first?"

"Aw clean," Noah said while running his sponge on the floor. When he was lifted into his mom's arms, he looked at her with a giant smile. He ran the sponge down her face, getting wide eyes in return. "Aw clean, Momm-ee."

Kate wiped the water and paint, that was dripping down her face, off with her arm. She shook her head to keep herself from smiling and informing Noah that this was okay.

"Time for _another_ bath," she said while narrowing her eyes at him.

Noah furrowed his brow and scrunched up his nose. He didn't want another bath, he wanted to help clean because it was fun. His mom also told him that he was going in timeout after a bath and he did _not_ want that.

"Your fault that you're getting another bath. You have paint all throughout your hair," Kate replied to her son's readable expression.

"Paints," Noah nodded while placing his hands on his mom's cheeks. "Paints, paints."

"No more paints for awhile."

"Aw gone."

"All gone," Kate replied with a warm smile.

…..

Meredith and Alexis were sitting in the living room, solving a puzzle together while Rick was leaning against the counter in the kitchen. He invited Kate over an hour ago and he was patiently waiting, more like impatiently waiting. He was so nervous that Meredith would say the wrong thing and make Kate leave him. He knew it wasn't possible, that Kate wouldn't let someone like Meredith get in between their relationship, but he wasn't entirely positive anymore.

Then there was the worry that everything would confuse his daughter, his little three year old that didn't completely comprehend what happened between he and her mother. He knew once Meredith left, Alexis would be devastated and it would be days, possibly weeks, before he brought the sparkle back to her pretty blue eyes. Then again, maybe this time would be different. Maybe Kate being in his little girl's life would make Meredith's absence less of a hardship.

Knocking came from the loft door, which made him stop thinking about everything and practically run over to it. He smoothed his hair down and straightened his shirt before opening the door. The smiles he was greeted with almost made him forget about the treacherous Meredith in his living room.

"Come in," he stammered, moving out of the way for Kate and Noah to enter. "There's someone I want you to meet," he murmured to Kate.

"Who?" Kate questioned with her eyebrow slightly raised.

"Alexis' mom."

Kate gradually set Noah on the floor before taking his coat and shoes off. She let him keep his hat on because she wanted to ask Rick if she heard correctly. Once Noah ran off to seek Alexis, Kate looked up at Rick.

"What?" she questioned in a whisper. "She's here?"

"Yeah. She came last night and slept in the guestroom. Alexis thought she was seeing things this morning, but she's so happy," Rick said with a forced smile.

"She slept here?" Kate inquired, tightly folding her arms across her chest. She bit down on the corner of her bottom lip, attempting to figure out Meredith's random presence.

"In the guestroom."

"Okay."

"I didn't know she was coming and I didn't want her here, but she is Alexis' mom. I can't deny her spontaneous visits," Rick spoke at high speed.

"I understand," Kate replied through a clenched jaw. She honestly loathed Meredith and her so-called mothering styles. Alexis deserved a way better mom, one that didn't disappear for a few months and randomly visit. She didn't understand how someone could not want to see Alexis. She was so innocent, adorable, funny, and smart for a three year old.

"You're mad," Rick stated the observation of Kate's furious green eyes. "It's okay to be. I would be mad if I were you."

"I'm not _mad_, I just wish you told me before I came here, but-" She held up her hand when his mouth opened, "-she's Alexis mother and I have to respect that."

"Thank you," Rick muttered, pulling her in for a tight, loving hug. He gave her a light, but desperate kiss before taking her hand and walking into the living room.

"Meredith, this is Kate," Rick announced with a school boy grin. "And the little one with the train is Noah."

"Kate!" Alexis cheered before anyone could say anything. She got to her feet to run over. She lightly collided into Kate's legs and gave them a tight squeeze.

If Kate wasn't mistaken, she just received a death glare from Meredith. It wasn't her problem that Alexis was so fond of her and if Meredith wanted to be jealous, then so be it because Kate did nothing wrong. The only thing she did was care about Alexis and that was never going to stop.

She squatted down in front of Alexis and welcomed her with a playful smile. "What are you guys doing?"

"Building a puzzle. Noah didn't want to," Alexis answered, shifting her gaze to Noah who was crawling along the floor with a train.

"That's okay. Can I see this puzzle?"

"Yeah!" Alexis grabbed onto Kate's hand and led her over to the coffee table. "Mommy, this is Kate," she exclaimed with a toothy smile.

"Hi," Kate held out of free hand for it to be roughly shaken.

"I'm Meredith."

"Kate."

"I see my daughter is very fond of you."

"She is," Rick interjected, taking a seat on the couch by the girls. He noticed Noah eyeing him, so he patted the spot beside his legs. The two year old dashed over and climbed onto his lap.

Kate sat down beside the coffee table and watched Alexis climb into her lap. She wrapped one arm around the girl's stomach and watched her pick up a puzzle piece.

Rick could tell Meredith was fuming because Alexis preferred to sit with Kate than her own mother. He wanted to say something to lighten the mood, but the only words he could think of were "this is your fault." He couldn't exactly say them for fear of Meredith's reaction and definitely not with Alexis around. Another screaming match with her in the room was not on his priority list. The last time they argued with her near them, she cried for hours.

"I have to use the restroom," Meredith announced through gritted teeth.

Kate glanced over at Rick who looked as confused as she was. She then brought her gaze on her son who was inspecting the train he had. When she noticed that Alexis was staring at her, she kissed the girl's forehead, creating a pleasing smile.

"I'll be right back, sweetheart." Kate shifted Alexis off her lap and slowly stood up. She nodded her head toward the bathroom until Rick understood. She needed to speak to Meredith by herself, show that she wasn't trying to ruin the small relationship her and Alexis did have.

Meredith was resting her back against the hall wall. Her arms were constricted across her chest and the glare she was giving the ceiling, caused Kate to be a little nervous. But she had to do this, she had to try and make peace with Alexis' mother, definitely since she felt like she wasn't leaving Rick anytime soon.

"She likes you a lot," Meredith angrily said.

"She likes you too. You're her mom."

"I am and that's how I can tell who she prefers over others."

"Wait a second here. She does not prefer me over you."

Meredith let out a devious laugh. "You're trying to be nice, but listen here." She turned her full body toward Kate. "You will not take her away from me."

"I'm not trying to?"

"Stop acting like you care so much about her. You're only being that way because you want to win over Rick's affection, which you obviously have. The thing I'm trying to figure out is why you're still keeping up this act."

The rage that began to flow through Kate's bloodstream caught her off guard, but she knew how to control… a little.

"Excuse me? You come here out of the blue and start making wild accusations about me, when you don't know anything about who I am." Kate took a deep inhale. "This is not an act, Meredith. If you haven't noticed, I have a son and he and Alexis are really close friends. I care about her just as much as I do him and you want to know why?"

No response.

"Because she deserves to be. She deserves to have a mother figure in her life who is not just going to unpredictably walk out the door." The look on Meredith's face informed Kate that she struck a nerve, so she continued. "And if I'm that mother figure, so be it. I consider her my little friend and the beautiful daughter of my boyfriend. This is not an act. I love them both so much, more than I thought I would and you can't stop me from doing that."

Meredith couldn't find anything smart to retort back, so she stomped out of the hall and to the living room. "I have to go back upstate for a job, but I'll be back in a couple weeks. Is that okay, Alexis?"

Alexis looked up at her mom then over at her dad. It wasn't until her eyes fell on Kate who was making her way back over to them, did they fill up with warm tears.

Her mom was only here for a few hours and she was leaving already?

She sluggishly stood up and watched her mom gather her bags in the kitchen. Her small hands were clenched into tight fists as the tears started to stream down her cheeks. She knew her dad was going to come over because he set Noah on the couch, but that wasn't whom she wanted.

When Kate was standing behind the couch with a sympathetic look written across her face, Alexis ran over to her hysterically crying.

Kate immediately knelt down and held her arms out for Alexis. She tightly wrapped her arms around the girl's small body, even when Meredith was watching them.

"It's okay, sweetie," Kate whispered into Alexis' ear.

A few long moments went by until Alexis slowly pulled away. She saw her mom opening the loft door and glancing back over at her the same time her dad did. She brought her arm up to her eyes as fresh tears escaped. Her glance fell back on Kate who was still there, she wasn't leaving her like her mom. Before she knew it, she was back in Kate's arms, crying louder since she heard the door slam shut.

She felt the side of Kate's face resting against the top of her head. She felt the tight, affectionate arms wrapped around her.

She was only three and didn't understand how a lot of things worked, but she wished Kate was her mom.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: )':<br>**_

_**And thanks to my buddy, Liam, for giving me the idea for the Noah/Kate scene.  
><strong>_

**_Also, might be uploading shorter chapters for the next... two or so because I have stupid college finals next week and I might be dead after the Castle season finale._  
><strong>


	23. Chapter 23

Kate sat down at a table with Alexis at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. She placed her hands on the seat part of the chair and slid it forward, so Alexis could easily reach her plastic bowl of strawberry ice cream. Since Alexis refused to sit in a booster seat, she was sitting on her knees, which made her head rest just above the table.

It was Kate's idea to take Alexis here. Ice cream was always a good way to lift a sad mood and so far it was working. The smile she received when she mentioned getting ice cream, just the two of them, to Alexis was absolutely adorable. Kate knew the girl needed a short period away from the boys since she stayed by her the entire time after Meredith left. Rick tried to help make her feel better, but she didn't want him. That simple action was what pulled at Kate's heart strings and she knew she had to get Alexis away from the loft, away the recent memory of Meredith walking out the door on her again.

"Use your spoon," Kate said with a gentle laugh when she saw Alexis dip her fingers in the ice cream and then in her mouth.

"I like it dis way," Alexis replied with the tips of her fingers still in her mouth, making sure she got every bit of ice cream off them.

"If you use your spoon, you can get more in your mouth at a time."

Alexis let her fingers slide out of her mouth and onto the edge of the table. She glared at the spoon on the left side of her dish then back at Kate who was happily grinning at her. Without thinking twice about it, she grabbed the spoon and scooped up an enormous amount of ice cream onto it. After putting it in her mouth, her eyes widened because it was so cold and she couldn't figure out how to eat it all.

"Here," Kate said with a laugh. She carefully held a napkin in front of Alexis' mouth. "Spit some out." Once the toddler listened, she rolled the napkin into a ball and set it on the table for later disposal.

"Cold!" Alexis shouted, which was followed by a shiver. She patted her cheeks since they felt huge and a little numb.

"What are you doing?" Kate questioned as she gathered some of her own ice cream onto her spoon.

"I can't feel them!"

"Shh," Kate unsteadily hushed since she was fighting back her laughter.

Alexis stuck her tongue out and tried to see it. "It 'til dere?" she questioned as her eyes accidentally crossed from attempting to view her tongue.

Kate had to place her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud and getting ice cream everywhere. It was unbelievable how much a three year old could get her to laugh in under two minutes.

She managed to swallow her ice cream before removing her hand. "You're tongue is still there," she reassured with a playful smile. "Next time, don't take such a big bites and your mouth won't feel so strange."

"Okay." Alexis nodded as she put her spoon back in her dish. She struggled to stir it around, but ended up getting it to work. "Mix and mix and mix," she said as she bounced herself up and down on her legs.

"Careful." Kate placed her hand on the ice cream bowl just before it tipped onto the girl's lap.

"How come Daddy and Noah not come with us?" Alexis questioned as she inserted more ice cream into her mouth.

"Because I wanted some alone time with my best friend," Kate heartedly answered with a cheerful smile.

Alexis' light blue eyes went as wide as they possibly could. She quickly swallowed her ice cream, so she could speak. "I'm your bestest friend?" she questioned with a squeak.

"Of course. I'm not yours?" Kate asked with a fake, sad frown.

Alexis dropped her spoon on the table and gradually stood up on the chair. "You're my bestest bestest _bestest friend!" _she loudly exclaimed with her arms in the air to illustrate her excitement.

Kate gently got Alexis to sit back down on the chair before she tipped over. She placed her forehead against hers and grinned. "Bestest friends forever."

The little arms that wrapped around Kate's neck warmed her heart. She placed hers around the girl's small body and gave her a love filled hug, one she was sure she desperately needed, even though she gave plenty at Rick's loft.

Alexis was the first to pull away and when she did she had the most giant smile on her face. She eventually brought her stare back on her ice cream and picked up her spoon.

"Let's finish this then we can go back and play a game with your daddy and Noah," Kate stated as she lifted her own spoon back up.

"Can you stay the night with me?"

"I'd love to," Kate answered as she ran her free hand down Alexis' soft hair.

"No boys allowed!"

"We will have to make a sign, so they don't come in."

"Can I color it?" Alexis inquired as she shoved ice cream straight into her mouth, getting some on her chin, but ignoring it, so she could keep eating.

"Yes, you can color after I help you write the words. How does that sound?"

"Then we can tell stories!" Alexis enthusiastically cheered, making a little ice cream fly off her spoon since she waved her arm.

"Where are we gonna sleep?"

"In my room, silly." Alexis shook her head as she watched Kate eat some of her ice cream.

"Sounds good. We will have to set traps, so the boys don't come in."

"Ohh. We can trap them like animals in the jungles!"

"Exactly."

Alexis stood back up and slightly leaned forward onto the table, so she could finish her ice cream quicker. She was overly ecstatic over the idea of Kate sleeping in her room with her and no boys being allowed. Girl time was highly needed since her mother left her feeling devastated, but not anymore. Kate made up for it faster than her dad normally did. Maybe one day her dad and Kate could get married like in the Parent Trap, then she would be her stepmom and Noah her stepbrother! The fun they would have every night would be amazing.

…..

Rick set down the Incredible Hulk comic book and lifted Noah up to sit on his desk, facing him. "Did you like it?" he asked as he kept his hands on the boy's waist.

"Hulk mash!" Noah exclaimed with a fast and continuous nod. "Big and… green!"

It was Rick's idea to get Noah into another comic book character. He thought that every DC superhero fan should get to know the good Marvel ones too. Captain America and Iron Man were the first two comic books they read, but for some strange reason the Hulk held Noah's attention the most. The boy was still in his lap, which was quite the rarity. And of course, he let him turn the pages.

"Want to play superheroes now?" Rick questioned with a sly grin.

"Me Hulk?" Noah swung his feet while waiting for his answer.

Rick quickly grabbed the boy's leg before it hit him in the Castle jewels. "Be careful. That would hurt me really bad."

Noah's brow furrowed and nose scrunched up in confusion.

"Okay," Rick said with a slight laugh. He set Noah on the floor and slid out of his chair. "Follow me." He led Noah into his bedroom and over to his large closet. He opened the door and saw exactly what he was searching for. Once he got a hold of the giant Hulk gloves, he carefully brought them off the shelf, so nothing would fall and hit Noah or himself.

"What those?" Noah impatiently asked as he followed Rick out of the closet.

"Hold your hands out and I'll show you," Rick answered with an encouraging smile. After Noah hesitantly obliged, Rick moved the gloves onto his small hands. The wide, fascinated blue eyes on Noah made him shake his head with a laugh.

Noah placed one of the gloves over his face and let out a loud giggle. "Big!"

"Yes, it's almost bigger than your head," Rick replied, laughing with him. He watched the boy hold his hands out in front of him and turn them over. It was one of the cute things to witness him do, inspect something that he had never come in contact with before.

"Hulk mash!" Noah shrieked, causing Rick to jump back from the sudden, loud outburst.

"Hulk smash," Rick nodded in agreement as his heart rate began to slow down to normal.

Noah sped out of the door. "Hulk mash. Hulk mash," he chanted as he ran around the living room.

He hit his overly large gloves onto the ground and became wide-eyed with his mouth dropped open at the sound effects they created. A mischievous smile made its way across his lips as an idea struck him. Since Rick was still in his office, probably putting away the comic books he pulled out to read to him, he ran toward the piano.

"Hulk mash!" he yelled and slammed his fists into the side of it. His tongue stuck out and rested against his upper lip as he looked around the room. When his eyes fell on the figurines that most houses he's been to had, he darted over to them. "Hulk mash!" he screamed and punched the glass figurines, causing them to fall in their place. He pushed them off the TV stand and onto the ground to clear the area.

He dashed away from the mess he created when he heard Rick walk into the room. Instead of hiding like he normally would, he continued to hit everything that he came in contact with, whether it was furniture, toys, or decorations, he didn't care. He was the Incredible Hulk.

"Noah, no!" Rick deeply yelled, completely astounded by what he did within two minutes of being in the living room by himself. He chased Noah over to the TV before he punched it and attempted to knock it over. His large hand wrapped itself around the boy's right arm. "Noah, stop," he said in a threatening manner. Before he knew it, Noah was swinging himself around.

Noah's left hook was more powerful than usual since he believed himself to be the Hulk. His fist collided into Rick's groin area, which made his other arm get let go of. He was about to spring off until he noticed his big friend bend over and fall on his knees. He was winning!

Without thinking of his consequences, Noah kept hitting Rick with the green gloves. "Hulk mash! Hulk mash!" he screamed as they came in contact with Rick's body, mainly his head and shoulders. The crashing sounds the gloves caused him to keep going.

"Stop!" Rick growled through a clenched jaw. He was still holding onto himself since the intense pain he felt was not subsiding.

Noah didn't stop for another couple minutes. The main reason he _did_ stop was because he was a little out of breath and heard the loft door open. His mom was back.

He sped away from Rick and headed to the bathroom to hide. Once he entered the medium-sized room, he slid on the hard floor and fell forward, but his green gloves thankfully stopped his fall better than his actual hands would have.

Kate helped Alexis out of her jacket and hat before she hung them on the coat rack. She followed the toddler into the living room to find Rick practically on the floor with messy hair and a red face.

"What happened to-" She noticed the glass on the floor, which made her lose train of thought.

"Daddy, are you okay?" Alexis shouted her question as she squatted down by her dad. Her arms wrapped around her knees as her head tilted to the side.

"I was hit where the sun don't shine," Rick said, which wasn't directed to anyone in particular.

"Noah _hit _you?" Kate asked, shock and anger quickly making its appearance in her body language. She got a nod for a reply. "Did he do this also?" She motioned her hand toward the broken figurines. Another nod. "Where is he?"

"He ran off. Not sure where," Rick answered with a loud exhale, making it seem like he held it for a long time.

Alexis gently patted her hands on her dad's head. "You needs ice to help."

"Sounds like a good idea, Pumpkin."

Kate quickly debated where to check for Noah first until she heard the loud noises coming from the bathroom. She marched toward the short hall and went down it. When she pushed the slightly ajar door open, her eyes went extremely wide as did her mouth.

Noah was too busy hitting the shampoos and toy things in the tub to notice his mom. "Hulk mash. Hulk mash," he endlessly said to himself as his arms aimlessly swung around.

"Noah James Beckett," Kate announced his name as she walked over to the tub. She grabbed both of his arms when he didn't come to a standstill with what he was doing.

"Stop!" Noah cried out, trying to swing his arms out of the grasp they were in.

Kate quickly spun her son around to face her. The look of surprise on his face made her draw the conclusion that he thought she was Rick. So this was how he acted without her around, completely uncontrollable and reckless? She would have to question Rick later if he was usually like this for him and if he neglected to tell her about it.

"I Hulk, Mommy," Noah said with the most innocent smile he knew how to make, glancing at his gloves to see that they were still on his hands.

"You're in deep, deep trouble," Kate lividly stated as she yanked the large, green gloves off his hands and onto the bathroom floor.

Noah stayed quiet the entire time he was lifted out of the tub and carried into the living room. "Lessis!" he enthusiastically cheered and clapped his hands together when he saw his friend.

"You're not playing with Alexis right now. You're going in timeout," Kate said as she brought Noah into Rick's room and set him on the bed. "You will say sorry to Rick when I let you come out, understand?"

Noah's eyes brimmed with warm tears as he looked up at his mom. She didn't understand that he was only being the Hulk, the big green guy that he just learned about earlier. He wiped his nose with the back of his arm as the crying started. When she walked out of the room without saying another word, he couldn't control it anymore. He was hysterically wailing from being in timeout over something he thought was okay.

"I'm so sorry that he hit you," Kate said as she took a seat next to Rick on the couch.

"It's my fault. I let him play with the gloves and thought he'd be fine while I put the comics back in their safe homes."

"Daddy's okay now," Alexis added in with a nod and smile. "I kissed his booboo on his forehead right here." She lightly placed her finger near her dad's eye.

"That's good," Kate replied with a warm smile, getting an adorable one in return.

"I gotta pee!" Alexis proclaimed as she hopped off the couch and ran to the bathroom, oblivious to the strange looks she received.

When she was out of view, Rick turned his head back toward Kate to see a questionable stare. "What?"

"Is he normally like that when I'm not here?"

"Uh, not really."

"You let him be destructive? Are you kidding me right now?"

"Not like that. God no. I let both of them be daring, though."

"Like?"

"Creating a massive pile of blankets and pillows on the floor and jumping off the couch onto them."

Kate angrily ran her hand down her face, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't result in a full blown argument.

"I wouldn't let them do things like that if I knew they would get hurt. And trust me, with the thickness of blankets and pillows, it would be impossible to," Rick tried to reassure her and make her less angry.

"Okay. Fine. Whatever."

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Dismiss it out loud when you really aren't in your head. I won't do rough play like that anymore if you don't want me to. I just thought it would be fun and since he's a tough little boy, I thought he would enjoy it. And Kate, he really does. Alexis gets sick of it after awhile, but that's because she would rather look through books or play with her little toy computers. Not Noah. If I let him, he would do something like the pillow thing for _hours_ and that's why he falls asleep so easily for you when you pick him up."

Kate casually chewed on her bottom lip. She hated when he was right about certain things. Yeah, she should let Noah do daring stunts and since Rick was smart enough to make the area padded, she couldn't exactly be furious. No wonder Noah always wanted to jump down the stairs and off beds... It was hard, but she was slowly learning how to not be a super protective mother. Eventually she wouldn't be able to as much, not when Noah reached an older age.

"Sorry," she finally whispered.

"It's okay. I understand, but don't ever think that I let him break things when you're gone. That was a one time deal. I did try to stop him and was… well… yeah."

Kate let out a stifled laugh. "Okay, big baby. I get it. It hurts getting hit down there."

"You have no idea."

"I went through child labor, I think I have some sort of clue."

"Touché, Detective."

"Oh, by the way, I'm staying the night tonight." She saw how Rick's eyes lit up with arousal. "But not with you. I'm going to stay in Alexis' room with her."

"That's… that's brilliant. You really cheered her up. How did you do it?"

"Ice cream works magic and we had a little talk about how she's my best friend. She loved hearing that, she really did."

"Speaking of the devil," Rick said when he heard his daughter's small footsteps running back over to them.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

"What, what, what?"

When Alexis was in front of the couch, she smiled up at her dad. "Kate's gonna stay the night with me!"

"Really?" Rick asked, pretending to just find out the news from his daughter.

"Yeah! And no boys allowed!"

"Oh, we'll see about that one," Rick replied, letting his devious stare fall on Kate.

…..

Alexis just finished coloring the large bubble letters that Kate wrote on a piece of paper when knocking came from her bedroom door. She quickly brought her head up and gave Kate a questionable look, getting the same one in return.

"Who is it?" Alexis eventually questioned, but didn't get a reply. She set down the open marker and crawled to the door. "Who is it?" she asked again.

Since she wasn't getting an answer, she whipped her head back at Kate who was slowly getting onto her feet. She watched her step over all the books and markers to get to the door.

"I think your dad is playing a trick on us," Kate said in a whisper. She placed her hand over the handle and carefully turned it, so it wouldn't make too loud of a noise. Then she opened the door a crack and tilted her head for Alexis to peek out.

Alexis stuck her face in the small space and glanced around the dark hall. Nobody was in sight and it was hard to see anything, so she sat back down on her bottom. "All clear," she said with a smile up to Kate.

"Hm." Kate fully opened the door and stuck her head out. Within two seconds a glowing disc hit her right in the forehead. She bent down and picked it up. "You think you guys are funny?" she questioned loud enough so Rick and Noah could hear from their hiding spot. Momentarily after she spoke, three more discs came flying at her, hitting her in the head.

"Take cover!" Alexis excitedly squealed, grasping onto Kate's arm to pull her back in the bedroom. Once they were both in and the door was shut, she stood against it.

"Do you have any toy guns in here or are they downstairs?"

"Downstairs," Alexis answered with a frown. "How will we beat them?"

"I've got an idea. Take my hand," Kate said as she held it out. When Alexis' hand was in hers, she lightly wrapped her fingers around it. "I'm going to turn the light out, so when we open the door they can't see us. Okay?"

"Roger that," Alexis said with a nod.

She watched Kate turn off the light and open the door. They both stepped out into the hall, Alexis letting Kate lead the way until at least seven glowing discs came flying to them.

"Duck!" Alexis screamed, taking her hand out of Kate's hold and diving to the floor.

"How can you even see us, Rick?" Kate questioned as she copied Alexis.

Since she didn't get a reply or any sounds from her son, she came to the conclusion that this was Rick's doing. She deliberately scanned the hall to find that the guestroom door was slightly open. From here, she could make out circular glowing shapes on the floor.

"Follow me," she whispered as she turned her head to Alexis. The girl was directly by her side, which made her smile. They both crawled to the guestroom and sat against the wall next to the doorway.

A few moments later, two sets of footsteps walked over to the door. When Kate saw Noah step into the hall with his toy gun, she snatched him and pulled him into her arms, making his gun fall onto the ground. The high-pitch scream that met her ears made her let out an evil, but playful laugh.

"I got you now," she said with a deep voice.

"Help!" Noah shrieked, struggling to get out of his mom's hold. He even tried to kick and slide his way free, but nothing was working.

Before Kate knew it, Rick was leaning out of the guestroom, gun extended toward her. "Don't you even dare," she threatened.

"Let Little Batman go and I won't shoot," Rick replied with the voice he normally used when playing Superheroes.

Kate loosened her hold on Noah and watched him crawl back into the room with Rick. When the door shut and she heard the handle lock, she turned toward Alexis.

"No boys allowed!" Alexis shouted as she stood up. She pounded her balled up fists on the guestroom door. "No boys allowed, Daddy!"

"Come on," Kate said with a stifled laugh. She gently grasped onto Alexis' small wrist and guided her back to her bedroom. "Let's finish telling stories."

"And lock the door," Alexis responded, pushing the button into the handle.

"Now what do we do, Little Batman?" Rick inquired as he stared down at his daughter's room.

"Mommy gotted me!" Noah said with a loud grunt.

"She did get you, didn't she?"

"Yes."

"How about we go back downstairs and lure them out of the room? We can get them easier since they won't know where we're hiding."

"Fly!" Noah exclaimed as he ran for the stairs. He was lifted into Rick's arms just as he was about to run down. When he was set onto the floor, at the bottom of the steps, he looked up at Rick with a smile.

"Do you want a drink?" Rick questioned as he led the boy into the kitchen and over to the fridge.

"Mommy, down."

"You want your mommy to come down here?" Rick faced Noah and saw the look in his eye. He wanted revenge for being scared, and that was too funny. His laugh ended up causing the boy to scrunch up his nose in frustration.

"No funny!"

"I'm sorry, but let's get a drink and after we can get them down here, okay?"

"Otay," Noah answered.

Roughly ten minutes later, after both of the boys sat down for a small snack, Rick guided Noah over by the door and handed him his gun back. "You stand here. I'm going to get your mommy to come to you."

"Batman stay," Noah replied with a smile since he understood what he was to do; shoot his mom with his Nerf gun.

Rick rushed to the stairs and had to get rid of the smile he had. Any sign of a trap, Kate would not come running down the stairs and to the door. This was a good plan, mean, but deliciously good.

"Kate, I can't find Noah. I think he got outside when I was going to the bathroom!" he yelled up the stairs, pretending to be impatiently pacing on the square landing. His hands stayed behind his back since he was holding onto one of the Nerf guns.

Seconds after he spoke, he heard running feet coming toward him. He looked up and saw a frightened expression written all across Kate's face; he was so going to pay for this later.

"What?" she questioned with a squeak as she sped down the stairs and past him.

"I think he got outside," he answered as he caught a glimpse of his daughter sliding down the steps. He ran after Kate and slowly pulled up the gun. When she came to a halt in front of Noah, he shouted. "Now!"

Both he and Noah pulled their triggers until their cartridges were empty. The ecstatic giggles and squeals from Noah made it hard for him to aim, but he did keep hitting Kate in one of his favorite assets on her.

"I am going to hurt you," Kate said in a throttled manner, sharply turning on her heel to face Rick. "That was _not_ funny."

"I know," Rick said with a sad frown, hoping it would work on her.

"I'll talk to you about this in the morning," Kate narrowed her eyes at him before facing her son. She squatted down to his level and held her arms out. He instantly ran into them, so she could wrap them around his body. "I'll see you in the morning. You're going to sleep with Rick under the fort I saw that he built for you, okay?"

"Mommy seep?"

"Yes, Mommy's going to sleep and so are you, Alexis, and Rick."

"Seep," Noah replied with a nod against her chest.

Kate kissed the top of his head before standing back up. She walked past Rick and roughly jerked his ear up as she did. The yelp she heard him let out made her give him a mischievous laugh. She walked up to the landing and took Alexis' hand since the girl was standing on the with her face against the bars.

"Tell your Daddy goodnight," she kindly said.

"Nigh-nigh, Daddy," Alexis said as she watched her dad walk over to her. He planted a wet kiss on her forehead, making her wipe it off with the back of her hand.

"Love you, Pumpkin," Rick said with a gentle grin. "And you," he said up to Kate.

"I love you too," Kate replied. "Sadly," she added and saw the hurt look in his eyes. "Oh stop. I was kidding."

"I know. Now go to bed. It's late." Rick watched them walk up the stairs and go out of view. He turned around to find Noah looking at him. "Time to sleep, Little Batman."

It wasn't even five minutes after lying down under the fort did Noah sit back up and stare at Rick.

"What?" Rick questioned in a whisper.

"Want Mommy," Noah answered with a whine, illustrating that he was on the verge of crying.

"It's okay, buddy. She's upstairs sleeping. You will see her in the morning, I promise." Rick's heart immediately broke when Noah's whines turned into full out cries. "Okay. Come on." He led the way out of the fort and lifted the boy into his arms. They ascended the stairs and walked to Alexis' room to find that the light was still on. Kate must be reading a story, or a few since Alexis always pressed for more than one.

He knocked on the door and patiently waited. Noah's head was resting on his chest, directly under his chin. The boy was tremendously tired, but he wanted his mom and would probably not go to sleep without her.

The door was finally opened by Alexis. "No boys allowed," she said before staring to shut it. Her dad's foot stopped it from closing. "Hey!"

Kate pulled the door fully open since she could hear Noah's cries. "What's wrong?"

"He wants you," Rick answered with a slight shrug.

The instant Kate held her hands out for Noah, he leaned toward her with his arms up. She lifted him out of Rick's grasp and held him close. "It's okay, big guy. I'm right in Alexis' room."

"No seep," Noah cried into her shirt, clutching onto it in fear she would set him down.

Alexis ran into her room and pulled a small tote out from under her bed. She opened it up to find it was the correct one with hair bands and clips in it. She picked up a few and dashed back to everyone.

"He can be a girl," she said as she held them up.

Both Rick and Kate shared a laugh and look. Kate took one of the clips from Alexis' hand and gently placed it in Noah's hair. "There. Now you can sleep in here with us, okay?" Kate asked and felt a nod against her shoulder.

"What about me?" Rick inquired with puppy eyes.

"Daddy too," Alexis answered with a nod. She watched him bend down in front of her, so she rushed forward and put the remaining clips from her hand into his hair.

"I'll go grab more blankets," Rick announced as he headed toward the stairs.

"Such a good idea, Alexis," Kate said to the girl who was yawning. She placed her hand on the back of Noah's head. "Are you asleep?" she questioned him and didn't get a reply. "Let's go lay down, Alexis."

"Okay," Alexis sleepily replied and followed Kate back into her room.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Long delay, but hey I'm on summer vacation now :)<strong>_


	24. Chapter 24

The next morning while eating breakfast, Kate's phone began to ring. She wanted to ignore it and continue trying to feed Noah since he was being stubborn, but she saw that it was the precinct. Being on call was not something she enjoyed, definitely if she was at Rick's house.

She gradually picked her phone up and accepted the call. When she held it to her ear, she saw the devious smirk Noah had on his face.

"Beckett," she said into the receiver as if she were confused about her own name because of Noah's smirk.

"Body dropped," Ryan said on the other line.

"Where?"

"Central Park near the turtle pond."

"Alright. I'll be there shortly."

"See you then."

Kate placed her phone back on the table and turned her head toward Rick. "What?" she asked as she slid Noah's plate in front of him, again.

"You have to leave," Rick stated as he took a bite of his pancakes. He glanced over at Alexis to see her pouring, no, dumping the syrup all over her plate. "Alexis!"

Alexis set the syrup jar back on the table and picked up her fork to stab a piece of her pancake. Her wrist was grabbed just as she was about to insert the fork in her mouth.

"Hey," she whined, trying to get her wrist free from her dad's hold.

"That is _way_ too much syrup," Rick said as let go of her wrist. He picked up her plate and tried to get some onto his empty one.

"It's not."

"Yes, it is." He placed Alexis' plate back in front of her with less syrup then before. He received a frustrated glare before she continued to eat.

"Look how Alexis is eating her breakfast. Why don't you eat yours?" Kate questioned Noah who was swirling his pancake pieces around his plate with his finger. She lightly grasped it to stop him. "We go through this every single morning and you always end up eating some, so why don't you do that now?"

"Cho-chip," Noah said with a nod, looking in Rick's direction with a smile.

Kate slowly faced Rick to see his 'I didn't do it' expression. She narrowed her eyes at him and folded her arms across her chest. "While I was helping Alexis untangle her hair, you fed him chocolate chips, didn't you?"

"What makes you think that?" Rick asked with a squeak, cursing in his head shortly after. She caught him and his higher pitched voice wouldn't help his case too much. He really needed to get a better control on it.

"Well, fine. You were the one that said you'd let him stay here if a body dropped and one did. You will have to deal with my hyper son without my help."

"He won't get hyper. He didn't even have that many."

The corner of Kate's lips slightly curved up. He always fell for her easy-to-see traps.

"What?" Rick questioned with an upraised eyebrow.

"You just admitted that you gave him chocolate chips before eating breakfast. I mean I understand that they are in the pancakes, but come on. He's two years old. He should be eating actual food in the morning, not candy."

"I want choco chips!" Alexis interjected, letting her fork clatter on her plate. "I want some!"

"Finish your pancakes and you can have some," Rick replied as he kept his eyes locked with Kate's. "He had a small handful, maybe five. Not enough to fill him up."

"You know how he eats. Just a little will make him full."

"Daddy, I want choco chips!" Alexis screamed, making all eyes fall on her. "Please," she said in an innocent and quiet manner.

"Hold on, Alexis, we're talking," Rick responded to his daughter.

"No, we're not. I have to finish getting ready and go to work," Kate said as she turned back toward Noah to see him eating. "Good boy," she murmured, gently kissing the top of his head.

"Cho-chips in dere?" Noah questioned while pressing his finger into one of the pancake pieces.

"Yes, they are in there," Kate answered with a smile as she got out of her chair. "I'll be right back. Finish eating." She shot Rick a quick snarl before heading toward the bedroom where her stuff was located.

If it wasn't for the kids sitting at the table, Rick would have followed and tried to reason with her, even though he knew he would end up losing. Winning with Kate Beckett was not an easy task and even more so impossible when it came down to Noah.

Instead, he watched Alexis take two more bites of her pancakes before sitting back in the chair. "All done?" he asked with a happy grin.

"Choco chips!" she exclaimed with a fast nod.

"Not yet. You can have some later, okay?"

Alexis folded her arms across her chest and pouted. Her frown disappeared when she saw Noah moving his hands in his food. She giggled at him and turned her head toward her dad.

"Noah's silly," she said with a smile.

"What?" Rick let his eyes fall on Noah and the mess he was creating. "Noah, no!"

Noah's hands stopped in the middle of the plate. He gave Rick a large smile as he lifted his hands, that were dripping syrup, off the plate. He brought his fingers in his mouth and turned his head when he heard his mom walking back over to them.

"What'd he do?" Kate questioned Rick who was out of his chair and at the sink.

"Look," Alexis pointed at her friend who was rubbing his hands throughout his hair.

"Off!" Noah screeched, trying to get the sticky feeling off of his hands.

"Oh my god, Noah," Kate said through gritted teeth. She pulled his hands off of his head and held onto his wrists, so he wouldn't try and grab her shirt like he did in the past.

Rick rushed over to the table with a wet paper towel. He cleaned Noah's hands at a fast speed before the boy whined and threw a fit. When he was finished, he turned toward Alexis to find that her fingers were in her mouth.

"What are you doing?" he asked with his head tilted a little to the side.

"Syrup good," Alexis nodded as she dipped her fingers back in the syrup on her plate. Her wrist was eventually snatched and she looked up to see who did it.

"We aren't going to the aquarium now. Both of you are misbehaving pretty badly this morning," Rick said as he cleaned Alexis' hand that had syrup all over it.

"I'm going to be late," Kate sighed when she saw the time on her watch. "I have to bathe him before I leave."

"I can handle it," Rick responded as he lifted Alexis out of her booster seat and onto the floor. He watched her run over to her toy chest before putting his eyes on Kate.

"Are you sure? Who's going to watch Alexis?"

"I'll give him a bath upstairs and have her draw me a picture in her room. That way if she needs anything, I'm nearby."

"If you say so." Kate leaned down and carefully planted a kiss on Noah's forehead. She didn't want to get any syrup on her and have to change again. "I'll see you after work. You better behave."

"Bad guys," Noah nodded with a sad look in his eyes.

"I'll be back," Kate said as she lightly kissed his nose, creating a few giggles. She walked to the loft door and slid on her flats. Once she had her arms through her jacket and she zipped it up, she turned around to see Rick.

"Have fun at work," he said with a charming smile before leaning in to give her a kiss.

When their lips connected, Kate's formed into a smile against his. "If he gets out of control, call me. I'll have my dad pick him up."

"I can handle it. I always handle it."

"I know, but if he gets bad, don't hesitate to call, okay? I don't want anything to happen like yesterday with the Hulk destruction."

"Roger that, Detective," Rick answered as he held the door open for her. He watched her exit his apartment before shutting and locking it.

Noah was shaking his sippy cup when he saw Rick beside him again. "Aw gone."

"Want more juice?"

"Aw gone," Noah said with a slight nod.

"Then, I'm going to give you a bath to get all the sticky stuff out of your hair, got it?" Rick questioned as he lifted Noah out of his booster seat. He let the boy rest on his hip, afraid if he let him free he'd get syrup all over the furniture.

Just as Rick opened the fridge to get the orange juice, he heard a loud noise. He shut the fridge and turned toward where he thought the source would be. He found Alexis holding the container that held her Mega Bloks upside down.

"Alexis, what are you doing?" he asked as he opened the fridge back up.

"Gonna build you something, Daddy," Alexis answered as she spread the blocks out in front of her.

"Can you put the blocks back and you can build me something in your room?"

Alexis let out an angry sigh before she obliged and put the blocks back in the container. She wrapped her arms around it to hoist it up and walk over to her dad.

"All set," she said with a slight smile.

"Come on, Chief, let's go get you cleaned up," Rick said to Noah as he bent down to grab Alexis' Mega Bloks since he was afraid she'd fall if she carried them up the stairs.

"No!" Noah screamed when they were on the square landing.

"Yes, you need a bath," Rick replied as he watched Alexis crawl up the steps.

"Bubbies?" Noah questioned as he patted Rick's shoulders. The sticky feeling between his fingers made him open and close them, trying to figure out why they were this way.

"We can put bubbles in it with you," Rick answered. "And after we're done and Alexis and I are dressed, we can go see the fish like we did before."

"Ishies!" Noah cheered and clapped his hands, making them stick together for a little bit. His brow furrowed, trying to figure out what made them do that.

"That's right, fishies," Rick responded with a laugh.

"Going to see the fishies!" Alexis exclaimed from the top of the stairs.

…..

Giving both kids some chocolate chips and juice before they left the house was a really, really bad idea. Rick didn't know why he thought they would be fine at the aquarium. He honestly didn't because whenever they stopped to look at a type of fish, one of the kids would run off on their own for at least five minutes. And of course, he didn't think to bring a stroller. Maybe he should call Kate, but he didn't want her to have to leave work and show that he couldn't handle a small two year old.

Once he grabbed onto Noah's arm to stop him from running and had his other hand engulfing Alexis', he pulled them off to the side, so other people could go around.

"You two need to stop," Rick lowly spoke.

"Run fast," Noah said, which was followed by a whoosh sound he made. He attempted to run away from Rick, but was tugged back because his arm was still being held. His eyes narrowed at the source that wasn't letting him do what he wanted.

"Yeah, Daddy. Run fast!" Alexis loudly agreed with a fast, continuous nod. She too attempted to dash off, but was jerked back because her hand was still being held. "Hey."

"If you guys don't stop, we are leaving," Rick threatened with a straight face to show that he was serious.

Noah scrunched up his nose out of frustration and opened his mouth to scream, but a large hand was quickly placed over it. Instead, he screeched, which didn't do much because the noises he created were muffled.

"Daddy, that's not nice!" Alexis shouted and tried to pull her dad's hand away from Noah's mouth. "He wants to talk!"

"Alexis Castle!" Rick yelled, which made his daughter stop what she was doing and give him wide, frightened eyes. When he was sure she wouldn't do anything else, he turned his head back to Noah and gradually took his hand away from the boy's mouth. "No screaming."

Within seconds of Rick's command, Noah hit him right in the nose. His eyes went as wide as possible, trying to figure out if the boy actually did that. When he was positive that he was indeed just hit, he stood up straight and lifted Noah onto his hip.

"We're leaving," Rick announced as he took hold of Alexis' hand and navigated the way to the entrance. Cries from the kids were not left unheard as they walked outside.

Before he knew it, Rick was pulling out his phone and pressing Kate's speed dial. Several rings went by until he heard her voicemail. He figured she was either interrogating someone or going after a suspect.

After placing his phone back in his coat pocket, he got the kids situated in the town car then he climbed in the passenger side. He wished there was a volume button to silence the kids cries because being in a car made them louder. Without thinking twice about it, just that he needed help, he told Alfred to drive him to the precinct.

Within the time it took to get to his destination, the kids started to become quieter. Alexis was content with a small book he handed her, but Noah was still upset as ever.

Rick looked down at the watch Kate bought him to see that it was only 11:30 am. No wonder the kids were causing so much trouble; they were tired. Then again, they woke up at 9 o'clock, so it didn't exactly make any sense.

Once Alfred parked close to the precinct, Rick apologized for the ruckus he brought into the car and got out. He let Alexis out first because he knew she wouldn't try to run. But given how she did speed away at the aquarium, he made sure to keep a good hold of her hand as he assisted Noah out of his seat.

Rick hoisted both kids onto his hips, which created loud protests from the both of them, but he knew better then to let them run around in the bullpen.

As the three of them entered the precinct and stepped into the elevator, the whining and shouting started up again.

"You guys need to be quiet. We are visiting your mom, Noah," Rick said with as much calmness he could conjure on the spot.

Alexis rested her chin on her dad's shoulder and huffed. "I want to walk."

"You can in a second."

"Now!"

"Alexis…"

"Hmph."

Rick slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. Usually one kid at a time would be bad, but not today. Both of them were misbehaving at the same time with no apparent reason.

When the elevator doors opened up to the correct floor, Rick stepped into the bullpen. Since both kids were silent, he prayed they would stay that way. Of course, what he wanted didn't happen.

"Down," Noah screamed and tried to wiggle out of Rick's hold. He almost escaped, but he was grabbed from behind and lifted up. As he was turning his head to find out who had him, his eyes fell on his mom.

"I could hear you in the elevator," Kate deeply said her son. "What's going on?" she questioned Rick.

"I tried to call you, but you didn't answer. I couldn't handle them both being out of control at the aquarium and trying to run off," Rick answered as he switched Alexis onto his other hip since she was trying to squirm free.

"Noah, what did I say about behaving for Rick?" Kate asked.

"Got Mommy," Noah said with a nod as he placed his hands over her face. "Got."

Kate gently pulled his hands off of her face and raised her eyebrow at him. "That's a new one." She brought her eyes back on Rick. "So they were running off and yelling. Anything else?"

"Uh… he hit me in the face," Rick whispered, not wanting to get Noah in trouble because he was too cute to be. But the boy did hit him and that wasn't allowed, even in his rules.

"He what?" Kate inquired as she let her furious eyes fall back on her son who was playing with the hair on her shoulder.

"He hitted Daddy," Alexis answered since everyone was quiet. She watched all the cops walk around the bullpen and was entertained at how much they were in a hurry.

"You hit Rick?" Kate questioned Noah who stared at her with his nose scrunched up. "That's _bad_," she scolded with a lot of hostility. "Say sorry."

"Saw-wee," Noah said to Rick before hiding his face in his mom's neck.

Kate swiftly pulled her phone out of her pocket to see that she had a missed call from Rick. She was busy telling her captain about their new lead, so she couldn't have answered it. She hit clear and clicked her dad's speed dial then send.

"Hey, Katie," Jim happily greeted her.

"Do you think you can take Noah for the day? He's causing a lot of trouble."

"What makes you think I want him if he's being bad?" Jim joked with a slight laugh.

"Dad…"

"Where are you guys?"

"Rick brought him here with Alexis. I can stay in the break room with them until you get here. Besides, I'm waiting for Ryan and Esposito to get back from the victim's apartment."

"I'll be there soon."

"Bye, Dad," Kate said as she ended the call and slid her phone back into her pocket. "Follow me." She led everyone into the break room. She sat down on the couch and placed Noah next to her.

"What's that?" Alexis questioned, pointing at the vending machine.

"I'll show you," Rick answered as he fished two quarters out of his back pocket. He slid them into the vending machine and let Alexis push the lemonade button. An amused smile made its way across his lips when he saw Alexis' wide eyes at the noise and seeing the can he pulled out.

"Cool!" Alexis proclaimed with a giant smile.

"Why did he hit you?" Kate questioned as she played with the hair resting on Noah's forehead.

"I held my hand over his mouth, so he wouldn't scream because I knew he was going to," Rick answered as he sat down beside Kate with Alexis in his lap.

"Wow."

"I know. I couldn't believe it for a few moments. When I did, I left with them. They did not like that."

"I bet."

"How's work?" Rick asked, attempting to get rid of the discussion about Noah hitting him.

"Just waiting for Ryan and Esp-" Kate smiled when her two partners entered the break room with amused expressions.

"Still on for CoD tonight?" Esposito questioned Rick as Ryan walked over to the kids.

"My place and the same time," Rick answered with a grin.

"What are you two doing here?" Ryan asked Noah and Alexis. He held his hand out to each of them and got light high fives in return.

"They misbehaved and now I'm waiting for my dad to arrive and take Noah for the day," Kate said as she snaked her arm around Noah's body when his head rested against her side.

"Misbehaved, huh? I guess you can't come over this weekend to play with Liam," Ryan stated with a shrug. "Oh well."

Noah immediately sat up straight at the mention of his friend. He glanced over at his mom and frowned. Tears filled his eyes tremendously fast and before he knew it, he was crying.

"Look at what you did, bro," Esposito silently spoke as he gently tapped the back of Ryan's head.

"No cry," Alexis said to Noah, even though she knew it was useless.

"I was just kidding, big guy," Ryan said at an almost whisper from feeling guilty.

"Hey," Kate hummed with her lips against the top of Noah's head. "It's okay. You get to play with Liam this weekend, but only if you be a good little boy for the next few days." Noah turned his whole body into her side, making it easier to wrap her arms around him. "Someone's tired."

"They woke up at 9 o'clock, though," Rick interjected as he looked down at Alexis who was no longer in his lap. Instead, she was standing in front of a bent down Esposito, inspecting his police badge. He shook his head with a smile before bringing his gaze back onto Kate.

"You woke up at 9 o'clock. He woke up at… maybe 7:30 and Alexis shortly followed," Kate responded before she whispered into her son's ear. "You're okay, Little Batman."

At the sound of being called Little Batman, Noah instantly cheered up. He let out a few stifled giggles before he pulled his head back to look at his mom. The smile he was receiving made him grin. Her finger gently wiped away the tears under his eyes, which he had to rub when she was done.

"Got Mommy," Noah said as he placed his head on her chest. "Got."

"And I got you," Kate replied as she snaked her arms back around him for a tight hug.

"I a cop!" Alexis shouted, making all eyes fall on her. She had Esposito's badge around her neck and she was holding it up for everyone to see. "You guys are under arrest!"

Everyone began to laugh at how adorable Alexis looked holding the badge up. It was little moments like this Rick wished he had a video camera for. Oh well, the camera on his phone worked for the time being.

After taking the photo, he faced Kate to see Noah sitting on her lap facing her. His hands were over her face that was close to his and he had on a toothy smile. She was whispering something to him, but he couldn't hear what. But before the boy's smile faded, Rick took a quick photo on his phone and sent it to her.

"You guys are too cute," Rick said with a grin.

"Got mine Mommy," Noah announced with a happy sigh.

…..

"Pass me another beer, would you Castle?" Esposito asked as he set down his empty bottle.

"Uh," Rick turned to his side to find that there were zero bottles left in the cooler he brought into the living room. "Be right back," he announced, heading to the kitchen to grab more out of the fridge.

It was fun being able to have a guys night in without two kids running around. His mother took Alexis somewhere for dinner and a movie, hoping she would be able to sit in the theater for once. And Kate didn't live here, so it wasn't like he needed to get her out of the house for awhile, though he did wish she lived here.

He grabbed four more beers with his hands and carried them back into the living room. As he placed them on the coffee table he felt Ryan's eyes on him.

"What?" Rick inquired, turning his head toward him.

"Nothing," Ryan answered with a slight shrug. He brought his stare back onto the giant screen and watched Esposito play. He was taking a break since his thumbs started to hurt.

"I still can't believe you can do this with video games," Esposito said as he ducked his head, thinking it would make him duck better in the game.

"I tend to use it for movies, but since you guys wanted to play games, I set it up and gave it a try," Rick replied while popping open a beer bottle.

"I can't believe you actually like CoD," Ryan said to his partner, taking a sip of his beer that he brought.

"It's not real that's why I like it. Besides, it's funny hearing other kids online screaming because they couldn't hold a killstreak," Esposito chuckled, which caused him to get killed in the game. "Come on!"

"Like that?" Ryan questioned and slightly nudged Rick's arm, creating loud laughs.

"I have other games we could play if you wanted," Rick stated.

"Sure," Esposito murmured with a nod, exiting the online play and setting the Xbox controller on the couch.

Both him and Ryan turned their head toward Rick. This caused the man to have an uneasy expression, so they both laughed.

"What?" Rick questioned while looking between his two friends.

"When are you going to quit playing house with Beckett and move in together?" Esposito nonchalantly asked, noticing how red Rick's face became.

"Uh… what?" Rick licked his lips to try and get rid of the dryness he had, but it didn't seem to help. He had to take a slow and deep inhale to gather his thoughts before he spoke up again. "It's too soon, though."

"How long have you been dating?" Ryan inquired as he leaned into the back of the couch with his leg over his thigh.

"Six months."

Esposito slightly shrugged with a smile. "You should ask."

"It's too early in our relationship to think about moving in together," Rick slowly said, trying to figure out if he was being set up or something. Maybe the guys were recording him to show Kate later. No, they wouldn't do that. His imagination was just running wild again.

"Not really. Some people get married within months of being together," Ryan stated as he took a swig of his beer.

"That's true," Esposito agreed. He took the top off a fresh bottle of beer and took a quick sip, creating a loud slurp. "You shouldn't be afraid to ask. Yeah, she can be pretty damn intimidating, but that shouldn't stop you."

"Just admit you want her to move in with Noah," Ryan playfully teased with a large smirk.

"Okay," Rick murmured while looking down at his lap. "I do want her to move in, but I don't want to ask her to and scare her off. I know she's not the type to move as fast as we are, but she seems okay with it. What if inviting her to live with me makes her run the opposite way? I don't want to force her to cross the invisible lines she set up for her and Noah."

"It's not like she has to move in with you the second you ask," Esposito calmly stated.

"You could always tell her that she doesn't have to make up her mind right away. Give her some time to think it over," Ryan added in with a smile. "We like seeing her happy and you make her that way, well besides Noah of course."

"And if you two were to move in together, imagine how much more fun it would be," Esposito said while observing how Rick was thinking this through.

"I hate to admit it, but I don't want to be rejected by her. It would sting quite a lot," Rick finally replied with a large sigh. He rubbed his face with his hands and held them in place. "I really love her and I don't want her to run off."

"We're not trying to pressure you or anything, but you should give it some thought," Ryan said as he lightly nudged Rick's arm with his elbow.

"It _would_ be a blast if her and Noah lived here…" Rick distantly said while trying to think. "Maybe I'll ask her."

"Oh, and when are you going to tell her that you're going to be following her around at the precinct after you finish your last Derrick Storm novel?" Esposito questioned, seeing the astounded expression across Rick's face.

"How did you know that?"

"We're detectives and Captain Montgomery told us," Ryan answered Rick's questioned.

"Don't tell Kate yet," Rick pleaded with puppy dog eyes. "She won't agree, but I can coax her into letting me shadow her on some cases."

"You sure about that?" Ryan laughed as he shook his head. "She can hold her ground pretty damn well."

"It wouldn't hurt to try," Rick answered with a shrug.

"Enough lady talk. Let's get back to the game," Esposito interjected.

"Oh, sorry. We're not talking about Lanie, so I guess we can't talk about women," Ryan responded with a sly grin, causing his partner to turn three shades redder.

"Oh, he got you," Rick stated with a loud laugh.

"Fine. Lanie and I are dating. Happy?" Esposito roughly picked up the Xbox controller and navigated to a new game of Team Death Match.

"Dammit, Javier. You just made me lose twenty bucks with Beckett," Ryan sighed, feeling defeated. "We had a bet that one of you would end up spilling the secret and I bet it was Lanie."

"Sorry, bro. You should have told me."

"It's fine," Ryan responded with a nod.

Rick was too lost in his thoughts to pay attention the conversation next to him. Ryan and Esposito told him that he should ask Kate to move into his loft. Of course he wanted to, but he was terrified that she would say no and then their relationship would be awkward. And if he waited to long, she might lose interest or something.

Why was it so hard for him to ask questions to her? It wasn't like she'd hurt him or laugh in his face. She wasn't the kind to judge… at least not aloud. He really needed to man up and ask her to think about it because he really wanted her and Noah to move in.

The only thing is that he had no clue when to ask the question. He couldn't just text her saying 'Hey, this is crazy, but do you want to move in with me?' That would most likely not end well.

Before he let himself get anxiety from overanalyzing what Ryan and Esposito said to him, he brought his full attention back to reality. Looked like he was going to be thinking about the idea of Kate living with him for a while, at least until he got enough courage to ask her, which could be months from now.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I was asked to do a Rick, Esposito, and Ryan moment and there you go. :)<strong>_


	25. Chapter 25

Rick walked out of the guestroom with his measuring tape to find his mother standing in the hall. Her presence made him jump back a little, but he managed to close the door to block her view.

"What have you been doing in there for the past few days?" Martha inquired, setting her hand on the door handle to peek inside. When Rick placed his arm in her way to block her, she receded and attempted to figure out what was going on.

"It's a surprise," he spoke up with a smile.

"For?"

He ran his free hand through his messy hair and itched the back of his head. His slight shrug made his mother's eyes narrow at him.

"Noah," he admitted with his exhale.

Martha nodded her head, comprehending more of what he said than he probably intended. A large smile formed across her lips and she could tell he felt a little uneasy with his secret being known.

"Mother, don't tell Kate," Rick begged with his sparkling blue, puppy eyes.

"You're fixing up the guestroom for her son to sleep in, but she doesn't even know that you're going to ask her to move in. You're asking for trouble."

"But this is how I'm going to ask!" Rick pleaded as he followed her down the stairs.

"How?"

"I'm going to sit her down without the kids here and talk about possibly moving in together. Then, I'm going to bring her upstairs to see the bedroom I'm remodeling for Noah. That way she knows he will have his own room and maybe it will work on her."

"And if she says no?"

"Don't make me think about that," Rick answered while setting the measuring tape on the counter. He faced his mother with a sad expression across his face. He didn't want the thought where Kate rejected his proposal to be in his mind, but it was too late.

"I'm only being realistic, dear boy." Martha placed her hand on his arm and gave him an encouraging smile. "But you love her. It makes me happy seeing you with them and if you want them to move in, take that chance."

"Yeah?"

"She's not like all the other girls that you've been with. She's genuine and I know you would love seeing her when you get up in the morning."

"Yeah, she is," Rick happily responded, liking the idea of waking up every morning to see his beautiful girlfriend next to him.

"So..." Martha patted his arm, getting his eyes to fall directly on her. "When are you going to ask?"

"I'm not sure. I was thinking when I was finished with the guestroom, well, Noah's room."

"Or you could always pop the question and have her, Alexis, and Noah join in on the fun of remodeling. What if you choose something the young boy doesn't like?"

"Oh, that's true. What if I choose colors he doesn't prefer or decorations he hates?" Rick anxiously ran his hands down his face and held them there. "What if she says no and I wasted my time?"

"And now you're overanalyzing. How about you get the room set up to be painted then ask her or is it ready right now?"

Rick drummed his fingers against his lips. His mother's suggestion was a good idea because if Kate did deny his proposal then he wouldn't have much to worry about. He would only have to repaint the walls and put the furniture back. It was a good thing his mother caught him stepping into the hall when she did since he was prepared to start painting tomorrow.

"Well?" Martha interjected his inner thoughts.

"It is ready to be painted and that is a great idea, but how will I ask her to move in? I don't want to scare her off or make her think she has to or make her feel tied down with me. She's still so young," Rick nervously spoke at a tremendous speed, noticing his mother's confusing stare as if she was trying to figure out what was just said.

"You won't be able to ask her if you keep assuming the worst. I highly doubt she will make you feel horrible, even if she does reject the idea."

"So I should ask?"

"Yes, you should. You only live once, Richard. Never sit around waiting for the right things to happen, make them happen when you want them to."

Rick snaked his arm around his mother's back and pulled her in for a big bear hug. She was also so smart and helpful whenever he was in a mini crisis. She always knew what to say to make him feel like he was doing the right thing. He was grateful to be able to call her his mother; even though she had her crazy moments like the other day when she was prancing around in some Shakespeare's costume for a play. She managed to stay in her role for twenty-four hours straight and he was tempted to call the psych ward. Well, not really send her away, but he did use the threat, which was probably why she didn't stay in character for the following day.

"I love you, mother," he joyously announced by her ear. "Your words of wisdom are always right and work."

"Are they ever wrong, dear boy?" Martha asked with a smile as she pulled away from their hug.

"Sometimes." She playfully hit his shoulder, creating a loud, deep chuckle to escape him. "But for the most part, they're right. I just hope when it comes to Kate and Noah that what you said is 100% true."

"You will never know unless you ask. Take a leap, Richard. It has been awhile since you did because you have been revolving yourself around Alexis." Martha lifted her hand to silence him when his mouth opened to speak. "Yes, you should be all about your beautiful daughter, but you need to make yourself happy too. And since both Kate and Noah make you _and_ Alexis happy, I think it's time for you to take a big risk, no matter the costs."

Rick planted a gentle kiss on his mother's forehead. "Thank you. I will ask tomorrow night since Alexis is going to Emma's and I'm almost certain that Noah is going to Ryan's to play with Liam."

"Tomorrow's Saturday, correct?"

"Yes, why?"

"Play practice," Martha answered as she practically skipped off to go find her script.

Rick shook his head with a small laugh. His mother was insane, but he loved her and her wisdom so much.

…..

Kate slowly squatted down in front of Noah and unzipped his jacket. Since it was getting warmer out, she didn't see the need for a hat and gloves, but he did still need his jacket. She let it drape across her thighs as she held his onto his hands.

"You behave for Jenny," she said while keeping his captivating blue eyes locked with hers. "If I get a phone call saying that you were bad, I'm gonna come back and take you home, without eating any kind of ice cream with Alexis later."

Noah's eyes widened at the mention of ice cream. He started to bounce in his spot with a giant, toothy smile.

"Okay, you," Kate softly laughed as she placed her forehead against his. "Behave, Little Batman." She planted a gentle kiss on his nose, creating a few silent giggles before standing back up.

"Since it's nice out, we can go play outside in a little while," Jenny said from behind Noah, making him spin around to face her. "We just need to wait until Liam's done putting his toys away."

Noah turned back toward his mom and tilted his head back to look up at her. He slightly barreled into her legs, wrapping his arms around them for a hug.

"Bye bye, Mommy."

"I'll be back in a few hours," Kate replied with a smile as she ruffled Noah's hair, making his head tilt back to see her. "Behave," she gently poked his nose, watching him run off to find Liam.

"He's in his room, Noah," Jenny yelled over her shoulder, loud enough for him to hear. She shifted her gaze back onto Kate and gave her a warm grin. "Go have a date without the two little rascals."

"It will be different without him and Alexis there, but it's very much needed," Kate laughed as her cheeks became a little hot. She turned toward the door to hide them and opened it. "I'll be back at 5 o'clock. He woke up from his nap a half hour ago, so he shouldn't be bad." She faced Jenny before she was ready to leave. "But if he does misbehave, like he has been for the past few days, call me."

"I will," Jenny nodded as she held the door open for her friend. "See you in a little while."

"Bye," Kate said while walking away and waving.

Jenny closed the door to lock the handle and chain because Liam knew it was nice out and would probably attempt to leave the house with Noah.

She walked down to Liam's room and pushed the door open to find the boys in their usual superhero masks, swinging Nerf swords at each other.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat and had to try not to laugh when they paused with scared looks on their faces.

"Mommy, can we go outside?" Liam practically screamed, throwing his sword to the side to run up to her. He grabbed onto her hand and gently tugged it down. "Please, please, please."

"Put the swords back and we can," Jenny answered as she smoothed down her son's hair. She let her eyes fall on Noah who was hitting the sword into his face. She let out a semi-loud chuckle, which made him stop. "Put yours back too, buddy."

Noah smiled up at her and ran over to Liam's closet. He handed the sword to his friend who set it under his hanging clothes.

"All set!" Liam exclaimed and ran out of his room, Noah not too far behind.

Jenny followed the boys over to the front door and handed Liam his jacket. She squatted down in front of Noah and guided his arms into the sleeves of his before zipping it up. As she turned toward Liam, she saw him struggling with the zipper on his jacket.

"Want help?" she questioned with an encouraging grin.

"Please," Liam answered as he let his hands drop down to his sides, so his mom could zip up his jacket. When it was up to his chest, he plopped down on the floor to pull his shoes on. After getting the left foot in and having a mini war with the right, he watched his mom assist Noah. "How come he can't do it?"

"He's still too little," Jenny answered as she sat on the floor, guiding Noah into her lap. She found this easier when it came to putting shoes on a little kid and she didn't want Noah to fall over. As she guided his feet into his Vans, she heard Liam trying to get outside. "You have to wait for me," she announced, making him come to a halt. "All set." She helped Noah stand back up before getting onto her own feet.

After unlocking the door and opening it, Liam sped out. He ran into the grass and waited for Noah to safely walk down the stairs. When his friend was beside him, he giggled and ran toward the back.

"Let's get the bad guys!" Liam screamed as he ran toward the backyard.

Noah darted forward then stopped. He turned around to see Jenny not too far behind. He held his mask to his face and looked up at her.

"Go ahead, silly," Jenny reassured with a warm grin.

Noah turned toward the backyard and dashed away. Once beside Liam and the yellow slide on the swing set, he stopped.

"Go up," Liam calmly commanded, pointing up the slide.

Noah climbed onto the bottom and attempted to walk up until he felt hands on his sides. He was lifted off, which confused him, but when he turned his head to see Jenny, he smiled.

"Let's not climb up the slide. I don't want you two getting hurt, okay?" Jenny questioned the boys as she set Noah back on the ground. She watched him run the opposite way before observing her son. He was staring at Noah for a few moments before chasing after him.

Catching up to his little friend took quite some time for Liam. They ended up by the back deck and sitting on the ground. He watched his friend touch the grass and pick something up. Just as Noah was about to put a rock in his mouth, he grabbed his arm and took it.

"No!" Liam scolded, throwing the rock to the side.

"Hey," Jenny said when she reached the boys after hearing Liam's outburst. She saw tears forming behind Noah's eyes, so she knelt beside him. "What's wrong buddy?"

"He tried to eat a _rock_," Liam said with an annoyed sigh.

"How about we go play on the swings?" Jenny asked while pulling Noah onto his feet. She watched her son speed toward the swings as she held onto Noah's small hand.

"I am Liam, hear me roar!" Liam screamed while he stood on the swing, gripping onto the chains to steady himself.

Jenny's eyes widened when she saw what he was doing. What did she get herself into?"

…..

The sound of the stove going off made Rick jump off the couch and run over to it. He opened the oven and grabbed the mittens to take out of the cookies. As he was setting them on the stove to cool off, he heard knocking at the door. Quickly, he used his foot to shut the oven as he took the gloves off, setting them on the counter. After, he was sure the cookies wouldn't go anywhere, he ran to the loft door and peeked through the peephole.

She was here.

He opened the door and greeted Kate with a wide smile, pulling her into his loving arms.

"Hey," he murmured into her ear, noticing the chills his breaths on her neck gave her.

"Hey, yourself," Kate softly replied as she closed her eyes to take in the smell of his cologne. And what was that? Cookies? "You smell like peanut butter," she admitted as they pulled away from each other.

"I made peanut butter cookies. I plan to use them with the ice cream tonight. Wouldn't that taste really good?" he questioned as he helped her out of her coat. He hung it on the coat rack before taking her hand and leading her into the living room.

"What is this about?" she asked, sensing his anxiousness, which was starting to put her on edge.

"I have something to ask you, but first," he bolted away from the living room and went to the kitchen.

He pulled open the fridge and took out the expensive bottle of wine he bought on his way home from dropping Alexis off and Emma's. While he popped the cap off, he felt eyes on him, so he turned around to see Kate suspiciously eyeing his every move. He shifted his head back toward the wine and the two glasses he already set on the counter. He filled each halfway up and returned the bottle of wine back to the fridge.

"What's this?" Kate inquired, watching Rick walk over to her with a glass of wine in each hand.

"Château Ducru-Beaucaillou," he answered, hoping he pronounced the name right.

She hesitantly took the glass from his right hand and lifted it to her lips. The taste that instantly registered against her tongue was delicious.

"Wow," she breathlessly spoke.

"Right?"

"What's this for?"

"Nothing really. Thought we could just relax, have some wine, maybe watch a movie."

Kate eyed the man in front of her. He was hiding something, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. And when he started backing her up, so she plopped onto the couch, she let it go.

She took one more sip of her wine before letting him take it from her and place it on the coffee table. His kiss when their lips connected was hot and feverish, which made her extremely aroused within a matter of seconds.

After she shifted positions so they were now laying down on the couch, she felt his lips on her neck. She played with the hair at the back of his head until his teeth lightly scraped her skin.

His lips formed into a devious smile against her neck when he heard her gasp. He always nibbled this area directly below her ear and every time, it took her by surprise.

He grasped onto the bottom of her shirt and lifted it over her head. The mischievous smile he received made him want more and soon.

Just as he was about to unbutton her pants, her hand delicately placed itself over his.

"Bedroom, now," she seductively demanded, which made him pick her up into his arms, creating loud, deep laughs.

He had her right where he wanted. He was about to get what he knew they both desired. And when he saw her hand behind her back and her bra straps falling a little past her shoulders, he couldn't contain himself any longer.

His lips eagerly explored her exposed, beautiful skin. Her slight whimpers made him continue until he felt her hands pulling at his shirt.

"Off," she murmured, struggling to pull it over his head.

He let out a playful chuckle before pulling his own shirt off. Her chilly hands on his chest made him smile down at her.

"You're so beautiful," he sincerely announced before their lips connected and they were passionately kissing one another.

…..

Kate let her head lay on Rick's chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat, loud in her ears. She could honestly say that she was addicted to him, his kisses, and his touch. He knew the right things to do and it was unbelievable.

She lightly kissed his skin before placing her hand on the other side of him. As she lifted herself up, so she could see his handsome face, she smiled. He was all she ever wanted and more.

Rick gently pushed her hair behind her ear. "I love you."

"I love you too," she happily replied as she leaned down to kiss his silk-like lips.

His thumb softly ran over her cheek, making her face nuzzle into his hand. She could stay like this for days, but she had a feeling they were in here for a while.

"What time is it?" she questioned as she grabbed onto his wrist, the one that held his watch. "3:30, not bad. We've been in here for like two hours. Not our record, though."

"Shoot," he abruptly sat up, making her get off from over him. He slid off the bed and searched for his boxers, which ended up being on the side table. He slipped them on and scavenged for his other clothes.

"What are you doing?"

"My mother is picking up Alexis at 3 o'clock and bringing her back here for me. I dropped her off and Emma's at 11 o'clock, which was after her nap. Emma's mom said she couldn't stay too long since they were leaving the city at 4 to visit her dad or something like that." He located his shirt and slid it on and shortly after found his pants. As he was hoisting them up to zip, he heard Kate get off the bed.

"Relax," she said while putting her own clothes back on. "I bet they won't be back for another few minutes."

But she spoke too soon.

The loft door was slammed shut, which was not left unheard. Rick practically dove for the bedroom door and closed it, locking it in the process, so he and Kate could finish getting dressed.

Once he was done, he checked himself over in his mirror, fixing his hair. The thought of messy hair made him look over at Kate to see hers sticking every which way. He loudly chuckled, which made her eyebrow rise at him.

"What are you laughing at?" Kate questioned while smoothing her shirt down.

"Here," he handed her the brush on his dresser. "You have lovely sex hair, Detective."

She quickly grabbed the brush from him and gave him a slight snarl. It took her a few minutes to untangle the back of her hair and when she did, light knocks came from the bedroom door.

"Daddy!" Alexis shouted on the other side, continuously knocking until it was eventually opened. "Kate!" she shouted and ran over to her friend, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"I'm going to check and see if the cookies are cool enough to eat," Rick announced as he gently placed his hand on his daughter's head before walking out the room.

"Let's play a game!" Alexis excitedly cheered as she grasped onto Kate's hand and pulled her to the living room.

"What game are we going to play?"

"Uh…" Alexis looked at the board games that were stacked by her toy box. She pulled the bottom one out, which made the rest fall over, but she didn't care. She held up her Disney matching game. "This one."

"Alright," Kate replied with a smile as she sat down, taking the box from Alexis. She opened it and placed the cards along the floor, eight by ten. "You go first."

Rick stood against the kitchen counter and watched two of his favorite girls play a game. When he felt a presence beside him, he turned his head toward it.

"Did you ask?" Martha inquired while watching for her son's reaction.

"We kind of… got distracted."

Martha slowly shook her head and let out a slight laugh. "Oh, young love."

"And I can't exactly ask right now because Alexis is here and she will want to be with Kate for quite some time."

"Here, I'll distract her while you ask." Martha's arm was grabbed, which made her recede to the spot she was previously at.

"I'm nervous."

"Don't be. You both have keys to each other's home. You both are in _love_, Richard. If anything, love conquers all."

"Okay," Rick nodded to himself, trying to find enough courage to ask Kate.

He watched his mother place herself beside Alexis, whispering into the girl's ear.

Alexis rushed onto her feet and ran over to her dad. "Grams said we have to go get the ice cream!"

"Did she?" Rick questioned as he bent down in front of his daughter.

"Yeah!"

"What flavors are you going to get?"

"Strawberry, vanilla… chocolate. All the kinds, Daddy," Alexis quikcly nodded her head before speeding toward the loft door where she was being waited for. "I be back, Daddy."

"I'll see you soon," Rick waved as he watched his mother help Alexis into her shoes and jacket.

Once they were out of the loft, he let his eyes fall back on Kate. He walked over to the bottom of the stairs and held his hand out for her.

"What?" Kate inquired as she got onto her feet and gradually made her way to him. She took his hand and became confused when he didn't say another word and just led them up the stairs. And when they came to a halt in front of the guestroom, she became tremendously lost. "Uh, what's going on?"

Rick roughly swallowed the large knot at the back of his throat. He could sense that he was already sweating, so he needed to hurry and let his question roll out.

"I love you so much, Kate."

"I love you too," she replied with a lot of bewilderment apparent in his words.

"I don't see myself with anyone but you and I know this may seem fast. I know you have lines you set up for you and Noah, so neither one of you get hurt. But love is about taking huge risks, right?" He saw her slowly nod her head like she didn't know if she should or not. He placed his hand on the door handle and opened the guestroom, revealing paint cans, brushes, and tarps. "I'm not asking you to tell me an answer today or even tomorrow, but I am asking if you would take another leap with me." He turned toward her to see her wide green eyes. "Will you move in with me?"


	26. Chapter 26

"What?" Kate whispered as she took in the state of the guestroom.

Rick was remodeling this for Noah?

"You don't have to make up your mind today, but I do want you to move in with me… if you're willing of course," Rick said, unsure of himself since she didn't say an answer, but instead a confused question. "What do you say?"

She slowly turned her head toward him and slightly looked up. He was being serious, but she didn't know if this was what she wanted. She needed time to think this over because it wasn't just her moving in here, it would be Noah too. She had to protect him, make sure nothing else hurt or affected him badly and her moving in with Rick could do that.

And what if she wasn't ready? She was still young, she didn't even know exactly what she wanted, but Rick had to be part of the equation. Maybe she should move in, maybe she should take one of the biggest leaps that she had ever taken in her life.

Moving in with Noah would be a fun time, it really would. But she didn't know if she was ready. She needed more time to think this over and he did say that she didn't have to make a decision right away.

"Um, can I think about it?" she finally asked, noticing the relieved exhale Rick must have been holding the entire time.

"Of course you can." He gently grasped onto her hands with a large smile. She didn't say no and that made him happier than ever. It was possible that she wouldn't move in, but the opportunity was still there.

She gave him a small grin before pulling out of his hands and walking down the stairs. Her mind was still in the fog over his proposal and she didn't want to be here right now. She needed to walk around outside and think about this without him nearby.

"I'm going to go for a walk before I pick up Noah," she announced over her shoulder as she made her way to the door. She slipped her heels on and turned around to see Rick observing her.

"Want company?"

"Not right now," she answered with a reassuring grin, so she wouldn't put him on edge.

"I'll be waiting for yours and Noah's return for ice cream later."

"I'll be back after I pick him up." She nodded to herself as she pulled open the door and stepped out.

"Hey, wait." Rick held the door, so it wouldn't close and pushed out into the hall. He rested his hands on her hips and pulled her into him, so it would be easier to steal a kiss.

When they pulled away after a few minutes, he could feel her trying to catch her breath. He loved how she softly gasped for air whenever they would stop kissing. It always made him want more, but he wanted her to think about what he asked, so he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead and watched her walk away in silence.

With them, they didn't need words to know how each other was feeling. They only needed soft, lovable touches and direct eye contact to know what was going on. This was how he figured out she was upset over a case a while ago. He eventually got her to talk about it and he could sense her huge relief.

Hopefully, she would come back later and want to talk about his proposal and what she would like to do. He would spend the remaining time of her absence with high hopes that she'd be willing enough to live with him.

He didn't know what to do to pass time, so he decided to just sit at his desk chair and stare at the blank chapter for his last Derrick Storm novel. He had a couple more months to finish and he still needed at least five more chapters. Though Kate was basically his muse, he still couldn't find the correct words to type. None of them were good enough, so he opened a new document in Word and began writing about his and Kate's situation, but in what he thought would be her view.

As he was busy writing, he decided that he would show her when she came back. Show that he understood her more than she thought, or so he hoped he did. Maybe this would help her decision, which he obviously wanted to be yes.

Before he continued to write, he glanced down at the time to find that it had only been ten minutes since she walked out the door. Looked like he would have to get in his writing zone in order to make time fly. He also needed to make sure that he'd finish his story for Kate before his mother and Alexis came home. But then again, he didn't plan for this to be incredibly lengthy, so hopefully it would be complete by the time Alexis came running into his office, wanting to tell him about all the ice cream she bought.

Then, his mother would enter his office and nonchalantly ask about Kate's answer with Alexis in the room. They were always so good at having conversations, ones in which Alexis wouldn't be able to figure out the topic to. Though there have been times when the name Noah or Kate would snap Alexis' attention onto them and they wouldn't be able to discuss what they wanted.

While he stared at the new blank document, he delicately placed his fingers over the keyboard keys. Within seconds of contact, words were flying across the page.

He got so in the zone that he didn't hear the loft door close and the little footsteps running over to him.

But he did hear his daughter's voice.

"Shh," Alexis shushed, turning to face her Grams. "Daddy's working." She held onto her small bag and grabbed her Grams' fingers to lead her into the living room.

"You always let Daddy write in peace?"

Alexis continuously nodded her head, her excitement over having ice cream soon was getting the best of her.

"Let's play a game!" she exclaimed while setting her bag of ice cream on the floor and running to her board games.

"How about we put the ice cream in the freezer before we play a game?"

"Oh," Alexis quietly said like she felt stupid for forgetting that ice cream had to be in the cold at all times. She dropped the game Cooties back onto the floor and ran over to the kitchen.

Martha opened the freezer side of the fridge and handed Alexis the ice cream she picked out. She lifted Alexis up, so she would have easier access to the only free spot on the shelf.

"All better," Alexis said with a smile.

"Let's put the other three in here."

"Oh yeah."

…..

Kate had been sitting in her car at Jenny's for twenty minutes until she saw Noah come running around the side of the house, Liam not too far behind.

Instead of thinking about Rick's proposal, she watched Noah happily play with his friend.

The way Noah ran was absolutely adorable. She never noticed how he twisted his upper body side to side while holding a toy. Maybe this was something new since she hadn't seen him do that before. Whatever it was, it was highly entertaining.

She watched as he tripped over his own feet as usual. She sat up straighter to see what he would do next, hoping he wasn't hurt because she didn't want to get out of the car quite yet.

When she saw him get back on his feet and run the way he came from, only to end up colliding with Liam, she heard his screaming cries. Since he fell back onto his bottom, she opened up the driver's door and rushed out.

As she dashed forward to get to her son, she saw Jenny sprinting from the back of the house.

"I'm sorry!" Liam shrieked through teary eyes, thinking it was his fault that Noah got hurt.

Kate slowly squatted down beside Noah and held her hands out to him. When he raised his arms at her, she placed her hands under his armpits and scooped him up.

"It's okay, baby," she calmly spoke into his ear, humming short tunes to try and relax him.

"What happened?" Jenny asked, a little out of breath since she ran from the backyard.

"I saw him trip over his own feet and when he got back up, he ran the way he came and collided with Liam," Kate answered as she held the back of Noah's head while her lips rested against his sweaty forehead. "It's okay. Mommy's right here."

"Did you see what he hit?" Jenny questioned Liam as she knelt down beside him.

"He hit his face against my gun," Liam whispered while slowly waving his large toy.

"It's okay," Kate kept repeating herself while swaying side to side.

"Let's go inside and have a popsicle," Jenny announced, taking hold of Liam's hand, letting him swing their arms as they walked toward the front door.

"I didn't mean to hurt him," Liam said with a pout.

"I know you didn't. It was an accident." Jenny ruffled her son's hair, which made him let go of her hand and dash for the house.

Once she was on the steps, she turned around to see Kate still swaying with Noah. She smiled to herself as she stepped inside to get the popsicles ready.

Noah's painful cries always made Kate's heart clench. She never knew what to do when he got hurt, so she did the only thing she could ever think of: hold him close and sing to him, which seemed to always work - except right now.

"Do you want a popsicle with Liam?" she asked while he rested his head on her shoulder, his cries finally turning into whimpers. She gently rubbed his back and began to walk to the house.

After she walked through the door, Liam was in front of her within seconds. He held up two popsicles with a giant, bright smile.

"One for Noah and one for you!" he exclaimed with his arms still in the air.

Kate slowly took the popsicles from him and watched him run the other way. He returned with a bitten popsicle and beckoned for her to follow, so she did.

The five of them, since Ryan was home from work, gathered in the living room.

"Heard we had an accident outside," Ryan said as he helped Liam onto his lap.

Kate sat down on the loveseat with Noah facing her, in her lap. "Sadly," she replied with a frown.

Noah snuggled his head under her chin while three of his fingers went in his mouth. His eyes closed when he felt his mom's thumb wiping away his tears. He kept them shut until he felt her hand move through his hair and her lips by his ear.

"You okay?"

Noah sluggishly lifted his head and leaned back, so he could see his mom better. The smile he was receiving made him grin. He watched her hand wrap around his wrist and pull his fingers out of his mouth. He scrunched up his nose, inhaling and exhaling loudly, causing everyone in the room to laugh and he didn't understand why.

"He's so cute," Jenny said in awe while resting her head on Ryan's shoulder. She ran her hand down Liam's soft hair while he chowed on his popsicle.

"Yeah, Noah's cute," Liam agreed with a full mouth and big nod.

Everyone's eyes went on the four year old after what he admitted.

"What?" Liam questioned with narrowed eyes.

"You think Noah's cute?" Ryan inquired, letting he gaze fall onto Noah.

"Yup. He's a baby and cute," Liam blatantly answered, slurping on his popsicle to get some of the juices out.

"That's so adorable of you," Jenny said with squeak, planting a wet kiss on her son's cheek only for it to be wiped by the back of his hand.

"He's my best friend." Liam slid off his dad's lap and sped over to Kate. He climbed onto the couch next to her and scooted close. He leaned his head down, so he would be by Noah's. "Batman is my best friend, right?"

Noah slowly nodded his head with a big smile. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his fist and placed his hand onto Liam's head.

"Fend."

"Friend," Kate corrected as she gently kissed the top of his head.

"Mommy," Liam said, turning his head toward his parents, Noah's hand sliding off of it. "When we are done, can we play on my skateboards?"

"Sure, but Noah doesn't have a helmet," Jenny answered as she lifted her head off Ryan's shoulder.

"He can wear my old, old, old, old one. I'll go get it." Liam held onto his popsicle as he slid off the couch and ran toward his room to find both of his helmets.

"That was probably the cutest thing I have ever heard him say," Ryan proudly said with a large grin.

"I agree," Kate added in as she held onto Noah's popsicle for him.

"They really are best friends," Jenny said with a happy sigh.

…..

"Lessis?" Noah questioned his mom as he was being carried into his home.

"In a little bit," she answered while closing the door with her foot and locking it.

He watched her slide her shoes off and unzip his coat. Instead of being set on the ground like he normally was, he was brought into the kitchen. He paid attention while she took out a glass cup and filled it with some drink he never had before.

As she took a large sip out of the glass, he placed his hand on it because he wanted to try some.

"Nuh uh."

He scrunched his nose up in frustration and continued to try to take the glass, but she set it back on the counter.

"That's for grownups only."

He grabbed onto the finger that was being pointed at him and smiled. "Mine," he said with a slight giggle.

"Yes, your Mommy," she smiled with her wet lips against his cheek. "Want to watch a movie before we go to Alexis'?"

"Batman!"

"Okay, we can watch Batman."

Being set on the couch the way he was, so he was laying, made him giggle. And then the hands that were tickling his sides caused him to laugh so hard his stomach hurt. Even when he was trying to escape his mom's tickling war, he got held down by her arm.

"Help!" he screeched, which was followed by laughter.

When the tickling stopped, he flipped onto his stomach and crawled to the other end of the couch. He watched as his mom pushed her hair behind her ear and smiled down at him. He returned the smile and continued to observe her, even when she put the movie in and sat down beside him.

This was his Mommy. His pretty Mommy that he didn't want to share with anyone, but then again…

Alexis didn't really have a mommy, but she had a daddy. And he didn't have a daddy, but had a mommy. He was confused about them, but he would only share his Mommy with Alexis because she was one of his favorite friends.

He let his head fall onto his mom's side and cuddled as close to her as possible to continue to watch his movie.

Kate snaked her arm around Noah's small body and drummed her fingers on his leg.

They wouldn't be able to have moments like these if they moved in with Rick, even though she was pretty sure if she asked for a night by themselves, he would let them, but it wouldn't be the same - or would it?

She was so lost and confused on what she wanted to do. She wanted her son happy, but she wanted happiness too.

The only thing she was _really _worried about was when the dark days took over her. She usually sent Noah off to her dad's for a couple days, but Rick would want to be with her.

Where would she run and hide when her emotions got the best of her? When she can't even handle taking care of her baby boy for a few days?

Nobody should have to deal with her when she got like that. And since it always happened a couple times a year, she wouldn't be able to live with anyone without them seeing the side of her that only her dad and Maddie have seen.

She deliberately scanned her apartment, taking in all of her furniture and paintings. Then there were Noah's toys and his random drawings that she tacked onto the wall. She could get rid of most of these, besides the drawings and her vanity set in her bedroom, since they had no meaning to her. But when her eyes fell onto the archway, she forgot to breathe.

Noah's height measurements from his first and second birthday were along the wood. She couldn't leave this apartment without them.

Then again, she could have her dad come in here and take that part of the wood off and replace it without anyone finding out.

Yeah, she would do that.

She rested the side of her face on top of Noah's head. He was paying so much attention to the Batman cartoon on the TV. His Batman obsession was one of his adorable traits, besides his looks of course.

Her son deserved to be in a happy, loving home and if she moved in with Rick, he would be receiving double what he already did with her.

It would take a lot of packing and throwing away, but she knew what her decision was. It had been hours since he asked, and normally it would take her days to come up with a reply, at least with Sorenson it did.

But this was Richard Castle, the love of her life and the most amazing father she had ever met. He loved her and he wanted her to live with him, his daughter, and sometimes his mother.

A small family was in her reach, welcoming her and Noah with wide arms. The same small family she had always wanted since her mother passed. Never did she think she would find one, or even make one, but it happened.

She found Mr. Right.

…..

"Ice cream!" Alexis shouted and opened the loft door with her dad behind her.

"Ice team!" Noah exclaimed back while clapping his hands together. He was placed beside his friend, who immediately took his hand and led him into the kitchen.

"We gots strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, and sherbert," Alexis excitedly told her friend.

"She's so excited about ice cream," Rick said with a laugh, shutting the door since Kate was fully inside. He locked the bolt and handle before taking hold of her hand. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kate replied with a slight grin. "Just tired."

"You don't have to stay late if you don't want to. I'd understand."

Of course he'd understand. He always understood and that was one of the main reasons she came to her final decision, but she wasn't going to tell him what her answer was until they were done with ice cream and the kids were asleep upstairs.

"How about we sleep in your bed tonight?" she asked as he led her to the kitchen table. He pulled out her usual chair for her and she sat down.

"Sounds good. They can sleep in the… Oh, crud."

"Oh," Kate shook her head with a chuckle since she understood. "We can set up a fort for them down here."

"Do you guys want a fort to sleep under?" Rick inquired as he lifted Alexis into her booster seat. He hoisted Noah up and into his as well.

"Yeah!" Alexis answered.

"Seep?" Noah questioned while looking up at his mom.

"Not yet. Ice cream first," Kate answered as she planted a gentle kiss on his nose.

"Ice cream," Alexis nodded as her dad set her bowl in front of her and one in front of Noah. Before she took a bite, she waited until her dad was seated. Then, she got a ton of sherbet onto her spoon and inserted it into her mouth. "Nom!"

"Oh boy," Kate laughed, handing Noah his spoon. She watched him struggle a few times, which made him throw his spoon in the bowl and use his fingers. "Nuh uh." She lightly grasped his wrists and pulled his hands out of the bowl. She licked the ice cream off his fingers, getting wide, blue eyes in return.

Rick held his hand over his mouth to keep the ice cream from escaping since he was laughing. The shocked expression the two year old across from him had was hard not to laugh at.

"Use your spoon," Kate urged while handing Noah his spoon again. She watched him manage to get ice cream onto it and eat some. "Good boy," she praised with a grin.

"Almost done," Alexis said through a full mouth.

Rick turned his head to find that she ate more than half of the ice cream. "Alexis, slow down. You might get a brain freeze if you don't."

Alexis let his spoon clatter in the bowl. "Brain freeze?" she loudly questioned with a lot of fright.

"Yes, it might give you a really bad headache and you don't want that. It's not fun," Kate added in, getting scared eyes from her little friend. "But if you slow down now, it shouldn't happen to you."

"No brain freeze," Alexis mumbled to herself, scooping a tiny bit of ice cream onto her spoon and slowly sticking it in her mouth.

"Thatta girl," Rick murmured as he ran his hand down the back of his daughter's hair.

"What kind you got, Daddy?" Alexis asked and tried to peer into his bowl.

"Chocolate and strawberry," Rick answered as he inserted a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

"What kind you got, Kate?"

"Vanilla and strawberry," Kate happily answered with a smile, getting one in return.

"What's Noah got?"

"He has the rainbow sherbet," Kate answered for her son.

"Me too!" Alexis proclaimed, pointing her spoon over at her little friend. "We got the same, Noah."

"We have," Rick corrected his daughter.

"We have the same, Noah!" Alexis said with her dad's correction.

"Same," Noah nodded with a giant smile, even though his lips and chin were covered in sherbet.

"Looks like we have to make sure to wash them up pretty well," Rick stated his observation of his daughter and Noah's messy faces.

"And they won't like that one bit, will they?" Kate questioned with a wink, instantly receiving Rick's playful smirk.

"Nope, but we have to make a fort, so finish up."

"I'm trying, but someone keeps talking."

Rick narrowed his eyes at the beautiful woman diagonal him. She was hiding something, he could feel it, but he had a feeling he wouldn't find out what it was while the kids were awake, so he wanted them to fall asleep as soon as possible…

Though they did just give toddlers food that contains high levels of sugar, so it would probably be awhile until everyone is calm enough to sleep.

Oh well, he would wait to hear what Kate had to tell him, or pester it out of her with tickles and kisses in bed. That was always a fun thing to do with her, when it was just them in the bed and the kids upstairs.

As he was taking his final bite, he caught contact with her beautiful green eyes. She was incredibly happy, he could read that off of her so easily, but there was another emotion he had never seen before. Was it confusion? No, that wasn't it.

His eyes widened when he figured it out.

…..

"Are they asleep?" Kate whispered as Rick peeked into the fort to find both of the kids conked out in strange positions.

Noah was diagonal and looked like he was trying to climb a rock wall in his sleep. He had his pacifier in his mouth and was clutching his sippy cup. His curly hair was perfectly laid flat across his head and most was surprisingly away from his eyes.

Alexis was curled in a ball under her pillow out of all things. Most of her hair was dangling over her angelic face and she was holding onto her stuffed monkey. Her thumb was also hanging out of her mouth, which usually made her drool.

Both kids slept so strange and peacefully that it was adorable and hard to steer his eyes away from.

Rick finally pulled his head out of the fort opening and turned around to find Kate walking into his office. Without thinking twice about it, he followed her.

She was sitting on the edge of his bed, legs crossed, while looking at her lap.

He slowly sat down beside her and turned his head her way. She wanted to speak, he could feel it, so he would wait. He never pushed her to speak without wanting to and he never would. She had her own pace when it came to announcing her thoughts out loud and he was patient.

Even in the moon light, she was absolutely stunning. He wanted to touch her skin and watch it glimmer under his touch, but she had something to say and he needed to hear it.

When her mouth finally opened to talk, she shut it again. Instead, she turned her head, so her eyes would fall onto his. The smile that formed her lips made him want to ravish her, but he had to patiently wait because he knew she was asking for a reason to procrastinate and he wouldn't let her have it.

"I want to move in," she finally, breathlessly said with her eyes shut. She slowly opened them to see the most joy on a person's face that she had ever seen. He started to lean forward for a kiss, but she placed her fingers over his lips. "But we have a lot to discuss."

"I know."

"And Noah…"

"I know," he hummed while delicately running his fingers down her arm. He was still waiting for what she really was battling in her gorgeous mind.

She inhaled sharply and closed her eyes. Two tears squeezed through and ran down her cheeks.

"I'm scared," she admitted, which resulted in her getting pulled into his strong, loving arms.

"Don't be scared. You don't have to be anything but yourself while with me. You know I won't judge you, Kate."

"I'm scared that you will eventually not like me…"

"That will never happen. I _love_ you, Kate. That feeling is not leaving me, ever. I won't let it."

"You will find something in me that you hate."

"Doubt it. I love every single part of you, even your angry moments. It's what makes you human, Kate, and real."

"Yeah," she agreed in a whisper against his neck. "You're right."

"I am?"

"Mm, yeah."

Rick tightened his arms around her thin frame. "So you're moving in?"

"Me and Noah," Kate answered with a nod against his shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: (':<strong>


	27. Chapter 27

It was nearing 7:23 in the morning and Rick was leaning against the kitchen counter, desperately sipping at his cup of coffee. Even though he was used to getting up early, he didn't catch as many z's as he would have liked since he stayed up late.

As he was taking his fifth sip, light knocks came from the loft door. He set his cup on the counter and tightened his robe around the waist. His hair was probably a tad bit messy, but it was early and he knew Kate would understand.

After he unlocked the door and opened it, he was greeted with the most beautiful smile. He was ready to pull her in his arms, but he noticed Noah asleep on her shoulder.

"He wouldn't wake up. Hope you don't mind," Kate murmured, so she wouldn't disturb her sleeping boy.

"Why would I mind?" Rick questioned as he stepped out of the way, so they could enter the loft.

"Because I don't think I have ever brought him to you while he was still asleep."

"It's okay. He can lay down in my bedroom while I write on my laptop since Alexis isn't awake yet, either."

"Here's the thing," Kate began to say, but stopped because she was sliding Noah's diaper bag off her other shoulder. "If he wakes up in a totally different place than when he fell asleep at home, he usually freaks out."

"Freaks out how?"

"Screaming, crying, throwing a fit, and sometimes hitting. I never knew he did that until my dad finally told me about a year ago."

"I bet I can handle it."

"If you can't, call me and put me on speakerphone. I'll talk to him."

"Alright."

Kate followed Rick to his bedroom. "All his usual stuff is in the diaper bag and so are his clothes for later. I packed more pull-ups than diapers because he's surprisingly getting better at the whole potty training thing."

"Really?" Rick excitedly replied. "That's so awesome."

"It really is, but I think him not being at home for most of the training is throwing him off."

"This will be his home soon," Rick happily stated with a large grin.

"Very true. We still have to talk about how you will be handling two kids while I'm at work is going to go."

"We have plenty of time for that," Rick said with a yawn, making his last few words sound like gibberish.

"You know, if you wanted to sleep in, I could have asked my dad to watch him or even Lanie."

"Nah. I like it when he's here. He's more about rough play than Alexis."

"True."

Kate took this time to place one of her hands on the back of Noah's head. She slowly lowered him onto Rick's bed. As he was set in the middle, he stayed perfectly still.

"He's so tired," she whispered while noiselessly unzipping his jacket and gently sliding his arms out.

"What time did he go to sleep?" Rick inquired while Kate lifted Noah's back up and he pulled the jacket out from under him.

"An hour past his usual time. I hope he's not coming down with anything," Kate whispered with a frown. She carefully lowered herself, so she could kiss Noah's cheek. Her simple touch made his head turn side to side a few times before relaxing again. "I love you. I'll see you after work," she hummed into his ear before standing up straight.

Rick slowly brought Kate's hand in his and led her out of the bedroom. They faced each other in his office and he let his hands rest on her lower back.

"I wish you could stay," he murmured with his forehead against hers.

"Me too," she replied while she toyed with his robe.

"Then stay."

"I can't."

"Who says?"

"Having a little boy and needing money to care for him."

"Ah, I can do that."

Kate slightly pulled away. "I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"You already invited me to live here. Telling me that you would buy everything isn't fair."

"I have the money, though."

"You do, but that doesn't mean I won't give you my share."

"But I don't need your share. I can pay the rent and you and Noah can live here."

"That's not fair, Castle," she deeply spoke.

"I'm not trying to start an argument, but I am welcoming you into my home to live here. I didn't expect you to pay half of the rent. Besides, you can use the extra cash toward Noah and yourself," he attempted to reason with her.

"… I don't know."

"It's not like I can't handle it. I've been paying for this place by myself for years. I think if you didn't give me half of the rent, I would survive."

"It's not fair, though."

"This is your home now, well soon, you can use your money to redesign it if you want. You can also use it toward Noah and yourself, maybe even Alexis if you wanted, but I'm not allowing you to pay half of the rent and that's final."

"Oh, oh really? You're just going to end this conversation?" She watched as he gave her a sly smirk and began to walk out of the office and into the living room. "I don't think so, Richard Castle."

"Fine. You can give me half of the money, but that doesn't mean that I'll put it toward the rent. Maybe I'll save it for the kids or something."

"That's not right."

"But it is to me. I know you want to be the one caring for Noah and yourself. You want to pay to live here, but Kate you don't have to. All I ask out of you is for you to be next to me when I wake up. Love is before money in my book."

Kate playfully shoved Rick on his shoulder, getting a low chuckle in return.

"Are you asking me to pay you in sexual favors?" she questioned while folding her arms across her chest.

His eyebrows tweaked up a bit in arousal. "Now that… I would not mind." He managed to grasp onto the sides of her hips and pull her into him. "Not at all."

"No," she breathlessly whispered into his ear because he began to suck at her neck, the very action that always made her weak at the knees. "I have to go to work."

"Just a little," he murmured against her skin, feeling the chills go down her spine. He turned her around, so her back was flush against him and began to move his hand down the front of her pants.

She had to grab his wrist to stop him before they went any further. She couldn't be late for work again because he couldn't contain himself. Well, honestly, neither could she, but she would never let him know that or he would take advantage of her… which wouldn't be too bad.

No, she had to go to work.

As she walked away from him and to the door, she could sense defeat in the way his feet sounded against the floor.

"Tonight," she managed to say while twisting the handle.

"All night," he spoke while pulling her in for a deep kiss that lasted for a few minutes.

"Yeah," she hummed when they pulled away. She looked into his blue eyes and smiled when she saw the happiness in them. "I'll see you later."

"I'll be looking forward to that."

…..

Alexis sluggishly opened her eyes to find that she was under her blankets. She giggled to herself and crawled out. The moment she saw that it was bright in her room, she practically flew off her bed and into the hall.

She could already smell the cinnamon waffles downstairs, which made her anxious. As she was running to the top of the stairs, she felt the need to go to the bathroom, so she ran back.

While she relieved herself, she swung her feet and remembered that Noah would be downstairs, waiting for her to play. Her excitement about her friend being at her house almost made her forget to use toilet paper and pull her pajama pants back to her waist.

Once she was finished washing her hands, without drying them, she dashed out of the bathroom and to the stairs. She sat on her bottom and descended the steps. It didn't take her long because she was in a hurry. When she was off the square landing and in the kitchen, she noticed that Noah wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Morning, Pumpkin," her dad happily greeted, turning around to face her.

"Where's Noah?" she questioned and ran up to him, going on her tiptoes to try and see what was on top of the counter. Since she couldn't see, she attempted to climb up her dad's leg, which made him chuckle loudly.

She was lifted up, so she could view what he was doing. When she saw her favorite plate with a small waffle on it, she clapped her hands together.

"I'm guessing you're hungry," her dad spoke as he shifted her to his hip.

"Yeah, but where's Noah?" she asked while looking over her dad's shoulder to see that Noah wasn't playing anywhere in the other room.

"He's asleep in my room. I don't think he feels too good."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. Maybe when he wakes up we can ask, okay?"

"But he might be hungry!"

"Want to bring him a small pancake like yours and eat in my room?"

"Can we watch Bubble Guppies?" she exclaimed when her anxiousness got the best of her.

"If it's on, sure." Her dad gave her a warm smile as he set her on the counter.

She swung her feet while watching him put more of the waffle mix into the maker.

When the waffle maker dinged, alerting them that it was ready, Rick took it out and set it on a Transformers plate. Next, he assisted his daughter with getting off the counter and handed her, her plate.

"Follow me," he softly commanded. He pretended to march, which made her giggle and copy him.

Once in his office, he set his and Noah's plate on his desk, so he could grab the tray from beside it. After setting the syrup bottle and plates on the tray, even Alexis', he brought it into his room.

Noah was still peacefully sleeping, but now he was curled in a ball at the foot of the bed.

Alexis hesitantly walked over to him and cautiously poked his head. Her soft touch ended up making him rub his face in the blanket. She quickly backed away from the bed, thinking she did something wrong.

Noah's eyes slowly opened, taking in the room. He was ready to fall back asleep since he didn't feel good, until he realized that this wasn't his bed or his mom's.

His heart quickened in pace and he tossed himself onto his back, so he could sit up easier. The lightheadedness he felt made him want to cry and go to his mom, but he wasn't home and she probably wasn't here. That simple thought made his eyes fill with warm tears.

"Hey, Chief, it's okay," Rick spoke in a soft, soothing manner while setting the breakfast tray near the pillows.

Within seconds, Noah was wailing, fat tears streaming down his rosy cheeks. He continuously rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands, even when he was lifted up and placed in someone's lap.

"It's otay, Noah," Alexis said with a big smile. She grabbed onto the blankets and used them to lift herself onto the bed. She sat down beside her dad and her crying friend.

Since Noah was crying so hard, he made himself cough. The cough hurt him and made that gooey stuff he didn't like appear in the back of his throat. His cries got tremendously louder, which made the large arms around his stomach hold him closer.

"What's the matter, Little Batman?" Rick inquired, feeling guilty for disturbing the boy's sleep.

Maybe Kate was right, though. Maybe the poor little guy didn't feel good.

He delicately placed his hand on Noah's forehead, trying to feel if he had a fever or not. Since he couldn't tell because Noah's skin was sweaty, he slid off the bed and carried him into the master bathroom.

"Whatcha doin', Daddy?" Alexis inquired, sitting on the part of the bed closest to the bathroom.

"I'm going to take his temperature," Rick answered over Noah's wails.

Rick opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed the baby ear thermometer. He kept Noah sitting in his arm while he turned it on. Once the average temperature numbers disappeared, he carefully placed it in Noah's ear.

In a matter of seconds, Noah started to fling himself around, trying to get out of Rick's grasp. Rick had to seriously hold the boy to him until his temperature came up on the small screen.

Upon hearing Noah's painful cries, Alexis slid off the bed and ran into the bathroom. She observed her friend in her dad's arms and had something being held in his ear. When she realized that it was that uncomfortable thermometer, she understood why he was freaking out; she hated that thing too.

After hearing the beeping, she stood closer to her dad. Her attempt to try and see what Noah's temperature was didn't work out to well.

"Tell me what numbers these are," Rick encouraged and held the thermometer down to her.

"One... What's that, Daddy?"

"That's a zero."

"One, zero… three… dot three!" she proclaimed with her arms in the air.

"Yeah…" Rick set the baby thermometer back on the sink and adjusted Noah, so he would be on his hip. "Let's call your mommy, okay?"

"Can I do it, Daddy?" Alexis asked while following them out of the bathroom.

"Of course." Rick sat on the foot of his bed and dug his phone out of his robe pocket. He unlocked it and navigated to the keyboard. "Hit the number two," he instructed, holding his phone out to Alexis.

Alexis stuck her tongue out against her upper lip and hovered her finger over the numbers, racking her brain for what the number two looked like. When she remembered, she hit it and looked up at her dad to see his smile. That was all she needed to feel proud of herself for not getting it wrong.

As she climbed onto the bed again to sit beside her dad, she watched how Noah was still wailing and trying to get down.

Rick was ready to end the call and try again, but the ringing stopped.

"Beck-" Kate could hear her son's hysterical cries. "What happened?" she inquired, panic apparent in her question.

"He woke up crying like you said he would. Then, he had a phlegm filled cough and I assumed it was from his nose being runny. But since my assumptions are hardly ever correct when it comes to toddlers, I took his temp."

"Oh no. What'd it read?"

"103.3"

"I'll call you right back," Kate spoke at an exceedingly fast speed before ending the call.

Rick set his phone on his bed and turned around a little. His eyes fell on his daughter who was busy eating her waffle that had a ton of syrup on it. Since he couldn't find the ability to tell her not to use so much because of Noah's crying, he opted out.

"Little Batman, it's okay," he murmured into Noah's hear and almost instantly getting a hand on his cheek to push him away. "I would set you back down, but you don't feel good, Chief. When Mommy calls me back, we will see what we can do to make you feel better, okay?"

"Mommy," Noah managed to blubber, which made the arms around him hold him closer.

"I know you want your mommy," Rick spoke at a low volume.

"Good," Alexis said aloud while stuffing her mouth with four bites of her waffle.

"Alexis, relax on your breakfast. It's not going anywhere," Rick chuckled while shaking his head.

"Answer the phone!" Alexis shouted above Noah's cries.

"What?" Rick looked down at his phone to see that it actually was ringing. His daughter had a good ear. He speedily picked up his phone and answered it. "Hey."

"I talked to Ryan and he said that he and Esposito would stay two hours later than normal tonight, so I can be with Noah. They are actually trying to push me out of here," Kate laughed into the phone.

"Go. Noah needs you," Ryan urged in the background.

Rick shook his head with a small chuckle. "I'll see you soon."

"Wait, do you have Children's Tylenol or Motrin?"

"I do."

"Okay. See you guys soon."

…..

The second Kate walked into the loft, she could hear her son's distressful wails. She basically flicked her flats off and into the wall, something she hated seeing other people do.

Upon entering the room, she saw Rick struggling to keep Noah in his arms while he swayed around the room. When he turned toward her, he stopped in his path. She stood in front of him, holding her hands out to Noah who immediately flung himself to her.

"It's okay, baby," she hummed into his ear as his head heavily rested against her shoulder. "Hey, Alexis," she greeted her little friend who was absorbed in the TV.

"Hi," Alexis monotonously said, keeping her eyes locked on her favorite cartoon.

Kate shook her head with a slight grin. Her eyes traveled back onto Rick's face to see a look of disappointment.

"What?" she whispered, so Alexis couldn't hear.

"It's stupid."

"That's what I say to you, but you still make me speak my mind. Just tell me."

"I couldn't calm him down…"

"I didn't expect you to. He's running a high fever and the only person he ever wants when sick is me. He will cry for hours until I come through the door for him."

"I know, but I couldn't even relax him for more than a few seconds."

"I'd say that in time you will be able to, but I don't know. I don't want to lie about that."

"And I don't want you to," Rick replied with a gentle smile. He leaned in and planted a soft kiss against her nose. His eyes fell on Noah who wasn't crying anymore, but he was whimpering.

"I'll be right back," Kate announced as she walked toward the master bathroom.

When she passed Alexis, she lightly touched the girl's hair, getting a happy smile before being ignored for the cartoon again.

Kate entered the bathroom and closed the door. She kept her arm securely under Noah's bottom as she bent down by the enormous tub to only turn on the hot water.

She then spun toward the medicine cabinet and opened it. Once the Children's Tylenol was in her hand under Noah's bottom, she untwisted the cap and read the directions. Luckily, the medicine dropper was on the same shelf the Tylenol was. She grabbed onto it and filled it with one teaspoon. Next was the hard part, getting Noah to swallow the liquid.

She sat down on the edge of the toilet and directed him into her lap, facing sideways. Using one hand to hold his head against her, she placed the medicine dropper in his mouth and against his cheek. Seconds later, she squeezed the liquid in.

As she was taking the medicine dropper back out of Noah's mouth, she kept a few fingers over his lips, so he wouldn't try to spit it out. That action made him have a fit and try to move his head.

"Sh, it's okay. It will make you feel so much better," she whispered into his ear, which ended up getting him to swallow the medicine. "There. All good." She planted a loving kiss against his warm forehead.

After about seven minutes of the hot water running at full blast, the bathroom was filled with steam. Whenever he was sick, this was what she would do to help clear his nose long enough to fall back asleep.

She kept her free hand gently placed on the back of his head as she swayed to the lullaby she was humming. It wasn't until her hand traveled to his back and started rubbing it did his small body became heavier against her.

She patiently waited a few more minutes just in case he woke up, but since he didn't she turned the faucet in the tub off and headed out of the bathroom.

"Is he okay?" Rick inquired the moment she walked over to him and Alexis.

"He fell back asleep," Kate murmured as her eyes fell on Alexis.

Rick understood, so he playfully lifted Alexis over his shoulder and ran out of the room with her, her giggling being heard from the living room.

Kate took this time to gradually get onto Rick's bed and sit in the middle, facing the headboard. She managed to carefully lay Noah down without waking him up.

Since she didn't want to leave him, she rested on her side and lightly trailed her fingers through is damp curls.

"Looks like we won't be able to paint the room together today," Rick whispered from the door, making her eyes fall on him.

"You guys can still paint."

"Nah. Not without Noah."

"It might be a few days and you could always have him do the idea you told me about afterwards."

"True."

"So you guys go paint while I stay with him."

"Aw, you won't be painting with us?"

"Not while he's sick, no."

"You were only home for a day and he got sick."

"Are you blaming me?" Kate playfully argued, but got a frightened stare in return, which made her laugh.

"What?"

"I was kidding."

"That's wasn't cool," he mumbled with his head toward his feet.

"But seriously, go paint. I want to see what you have in mind."

"You said he liked green, right?"

"He likes green, red, and yellow."

"This is gonna be so awesome!" Rick exclaimed like a little kid before taking off for his daughter.

Kate shook her head and rolled her eyes. She let them rest on her little boy who was cuddled into her. The backs of her fingers gently ran down his rosy cheek before her lips rested on it for a kiss.

She hated when he was sick since there wasn't much she could do. The only thing she managed to do was stay by his side until he was better, but even then he still didn't want her gone.

It was cute the way he wanted her, and only ever her. It made her feel less horrible for being at work most of the day. She honestly thought her job would make their relationship go down the drain, but not with Noah. No, he absolutely adored her.

She eventually let her head lay on her arm that wasn't draped over his small body. She watched the rise and fall of his chest before her own eyes closed, taking in his sweet scent and sounds.

…..

"Daddy, look!" Alexis yelled, grabbing her dad's attention. She wound up her arm and flung the paint on the brush to the wall, creating splatters.

"Alexis, you just gave me a brilliant idea!"

"I did?" she questioned while rubbing her forehead with her hand, making lines of paint appear on it.

"You see how cool that looks?" Her dad pointed to the markings she just created. She nodded her head at him. "Let's do that to only the ceiling."

"Can we finish these firstest?"

"Of course."

She gave him a bright smile before dropping her paintbrush and running over to the large bucket. Her dad always had the most fun ideas for them. She picked up one of the balloons filled with paint and hoisted it over to the wall.

As she lifted it up to throw, she felt her dad's eyes on her. She turned her head to him and grinned ear to ear.

"Let me get one," he said and rushed over to the bucket. He stood by her side and nodded, giving her the go.

She held the balloon above her head with two hands and chucked it at the wall. The impact it had made paint fly everywhere, even on herself. As her giggling appeared, she attempted to watch her dad and succeeded.

His balloon did the same thing, but most of his face was covered with paint, which made her laugh so hard that she fell on the floor.

Rick let his gaze fall on his daughter when he could hear her squeaks. He couldn't help but chuckle when he saw her on her hands and knees, uncontrollably laughing.

"What's so funny?" he questioned through his own laughter.

"You… you gots paint all on your face, Daddy," she managed to say before her giggling took over again.

"I do? Where?" He used one of his hands to rub his face. After, he looked at his palm to find light lime green paint covering the whole thing. "Is it gone?"

Alexis' eyes widened when she saw her dad's face. He looked like a giant green monster, which made her dart around the outline of the room.

Within seconds, she was being chased and he was growling at her, which made her run even faster. But it didn't last long because she tripped over her paintbrush and was lifted into his arms.

"Let me go!" she shrieked and tried to kick free.

"Never!"

"Please?" she innocently questioned, getting set back on the floor. She faced him and tilted her head up. "Booger monster."

"What?"

"You're green and you look like a monster!"

"I'm not a booger!"

"Yes you are!"

"Nope."

"Yes." She nodded with a slight smile when she saw his mouth drop open and his eyes narrow at her.

He squatted down in front of her and picked up her paintbrush. She wasn't prepared for what was going to happen and when it did, she became stunned.

"Now you're a booger monster too," he announced after gently swiping the brush down her face.

The firm o-shaped mouth and wide eyes he was receiving made him go into a laughing fit and pull her into his big arms. He tickled her like crazy until she called out for help. Once he let her free, he watched her run to the door. He spun around to see Kate in the doorway with Noah against her shoulder.

"What are you-" Kate began to say, but when she the paint over Rick and Alexis, she lost train of thought.

"Booger monsters!" Alexis cheered in front of her. "Come paint."

"I can't, sweetheart."

"Why?"

"Because Noah doesn't feel good and I want to stay with him. We can do a puzzle or even play a game later if you want," Kate said with a warm grin, getting a fast nod from her little friend.

"Okay." Alexis looked up at Noah. "Watch, Noah." She ran over to the balloons filled with paint and lifted one up. She made sure Noah was watching before she threw it into the wall.

"Wow," Kate shockingly spoke. "You guys sure know how to have fun while painting a room."

"That we do," Rick replied with his charming smile.

"And I absolutely love the color," Kate said in awe over the light lime green walls.

"How do you like it, Chief?" Rick asked Noah while he got himself onto his feet.

Noah clutched onto the pacifier in his mouth tighter and snuggled his face into his mom's neck before closing his eyes.

"He's exhausted," Kate stated while playing with the hairs at the nape of Noah's neck.

"Did we wake him?" Alexis inquired while she swished her paintbrush along the wall.

"No, sweetie. You guys weren't loud, but I was curious to what you two were doing," Kate replied with a stifled laugh when she saw how Alexis' body was moving with her arm motions.

"This." Rick held his arms open and looked around the room. He faced Kate again and spoke in a whisper, so Alexis couldn't hear. "I plan to do a second or third coat when I tell her that we're done, so it doesn't look too bad."

"I had a feeling you were going to do that," Kate murmured as he leaned in and kissed her. She licked her bottom lip and raised her eyebrow at him. "How did you even manage to get paint on your lips?"

"I don't know," he deeply chuckled and noticed that Noah was fast asleep with his face buried in his mom's neck and clinging onto her. "Did his fever go down yet?"

"You'd think so since it has been five hours, but no. It's still 103."

"Bummer… Has he eaten anything?"

"A couple strawberries and his juice, but that's about it. He just wants to lay with me and cuddle. I absolutely love it."

"Sadist," Rick teased as he quirked his eyebrows in a fast speed.

"More like loving the cuddles."

"Hey, I could give you cuddles."

"Yours aren't the same as his."

"Touché."

"But since you guys are having a blast and he's sleeping, I'm going to go back downstairs and possibly read a book."

Rick lightly grasped her arm when she started to walk away.

"What book?" he curiously questioned.

"One of yours."

"Really?"

"No." She gave him a devious smirk before walking away from the room and to the stairs.

"Have fun, Kate!" Alexis shouted while she threw another balloon at one of the walls.

"How about we finish this up," Rick said while still looking down the hall, trying to figure out if Kate was joking or not.

Call it corny, but he loved knowing that she was reading one of his books because it was like she encouraged him to keep writing. She was his muse and she didn't even know it yet.

"Can we watch a movie with Noah and Kate after?" Alexis questioned, taking him away from his thoughts.

"After we both take a bath."

"I don't wanna with you!"

"Not with me," he laughed and faced her. "I will give you a quick bath and then I will shower while you, Kate, and Noah start the movie, okay?"

"Okay." Alexis went back to painting until a question itched at her brain. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Pumpkin." Rick picked up his rolling brush and turned toward her.

"Is this Noah's room?"

"Yes, sweetheart, it is."

Alexis' pretty blue eyes widened at the news. Her favorite friend and big best friend were going to be living with her?

Forgetting that her dad was watching, she began to do her happy dance and hum she created. She eventually stopped when her dad's laughter made its way to her ears.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Okay." She smiled up at him and ran full speed into his legs, making him hit the wall. "I love you, Daddy." She hugged him super tight.

"I love you too, Pumpkin. Now, let's finish this room."


	28. Chapter 28

"How many more do you have?" Rick complained while entering the loft with two boxes.

"You said you wanted to help," Kate answered as she set her load down and stood up with a loud exhale. "I think there's a few more."

"This is exhausting."

"You're not the one who had to put them in the truck."

"You made me stay with the kids."

"I made you? Really?" She constricted her arms across her chest. "If I remember correctly you _offered_."

Rick opened his mouth to say something, but he quickly shut it because she was right. He watched her push the boxes against the wall and head to the living room. As she bent over the pack and play she set up for Noah since he was still sick, he couldn't help but stare at her firm, round…

"Daddy!" Alexis exclaimed from the stairs.

He quickly spun around to see his daughter sliding down the steps on her bottom. When she hopped off the last one, she dashed for him.

"Are you done?" she questioned while looking up with a bright smile.

"Not yet."

"Incoming," Esposito said from the hall. He charged into the loft and almost collided with Alexis, but she was lifted into Rick's arms. "You have a lot of crap, Beckett. This one is so heavy."

"That's because those are some of her books," Rick laughed as he pointed out the writing on the side of the box.

Esposito let the box drop on the floor, creating a loud thud.

Kate sharply turned on her heel to face the door. "Was that necessary?" she growled at Esposito. "You made him jump and wake up when he just fell asleep a half hour ago."

Esposito glanced over at Rick with a frightened stare and decided not to say anything. He ended up smiling and receding to the door.

"I'll grab some more boxes then I'm taking my truck back," Esposito teased, which ended up getting him a wrathful stare from his partner. "I'm kidding, but I will be right back," he announced as he headed into the hall.

"Daddy, look," Alexis gently demanded while holding up a nail. "We got to hang the thing."

Rick quickly took the nail out of her hand. "I told you not to play with these."

She furrowed her brows and glared at him. "You didn't."

"I told you not to go into the room until all of Noah's things are in there."

"But you gotta hang the thingy!"

"I know and that will be done after we put Noah's things in his room, okay?"

"Fine," she huffed and wiggled to get out of her dad's arms. Once on the floor, she ran over to Kate and pressed her face against the pack and play net.

"Hey, kiddo," Kate greeted and smoothed back Alexis' hair with a smile.

"Come play, Noah," Alexis said to her friend while bouncing on her feet.

Noah flipped the hook on his pacifier a few times before letting his eyes fall on his mom. He sluggishly got himself onto his bottom and held his arms out to her with a whine.

"Come here," Kate murmured as she hoisted him out and onto her hip. "Your fever is almost gone and I know you still don't feel good." She lightly kissed the side of his face before he let it rest on her shoulder.

"Watch a movie?" Alexis questioned while attempting to climb into the pack and play.

"Sure." Kate grabbed onto the back of the girl's shirt to stop her. "Only if you quit being a monkey."

"Monkey," Alexis softly giggled before running over to the DVDs for an animated movie. Without be told how to, she turned the DVD player on and inserted the disc.

"Mommy's going to keep unloading Javi's truck while you watch a movie, okay?" Kate questioned Noah as she carefully set him on the couch.

"Help," Alexis called out while holding two remotes. She didn't know how her dad got to the right channel, so she held them up to Kate.

After Kate put the TV on the correct channel, skipped the previews, and hit play for _Kung Fu Panda_, she set the remotes on the couch. She then slowly leaned down and kissed Noah's forehead.

"I'll be right back."

Two steps away from the couch and Noah was already crying for her. She silently sighed and squatted down in front of him.

"Stay," Noah whined as his pacifier fell out of his mouth. He quickly picked it up and put it back.

"I got an idea," Alexis shouted before sliding off the couch and into the kitchen.

She opened the freezer side of the fridge and yanked out the jolly rancher popsicles. She quickly backed away to let the other things fall onto the floor before she set the box down. While she pulled out two popsicles, she noticed her dad setting the things that dropped back into the freezer.

"You need to be careful, silly," he said with a grin. "Or ask me to help you."

"Help open?" she questioned while holding the two popsicles up to him.

She intently watched as he ripped the wrappers off of both popsicles and handed them back to her. After they were in her hands, she ran to the living room and stood in front of Noah.

"Happy Birfday," she said with a giggle and held out a popsicle to him.

Noah looked up at his mom who was sitting on the arm of the couch. When he got a smile from her, he hesitantly took the popsicle from Alexis. He pulled his pacifier out of his mouth and held it in his right hand while he licked the popsicle. His eyes widened at how delicious it tasted, which made him bounce in his seat with a smile.

"Good idea, Alexis," Kate said while she leaned down and kissed the top of Noah's head before heading to the loft door. "I'll be right back."

"I'll stay in here," Rick announced from the kitchen.

"Weakling," she loudly teased before stepping into the hall.

"More like I need to keep an eye on the little ones!" he yelled out, but knew she was probably by the elevator by then.

…..

By the time they finished unloading Esposito's truck and moved Noah's boxes into his new room, _Kung Fu Panda_ finished.

Alexis turned to her side to notice that Noah wasn't there anymore. She rushed off the couch and almost fell into the coffee table before she regained her balance.

"Noah!" she yelled while running around the living room, searching for her little friend. She ended up facing the stairs when she heard two sets of footsteps run down them.

"What's the matter?" Kate questioned as she leaned against the rail on the square landing.

"I lost him!" Alexis exclaimed before she ran into the kitchen to search the cupboards since Noah hid in them once.

Kate practically dove off the platform to search the loft for her son. First, she entered Rick's office and when she was about to head back out, she noticed Noah lying on the floor. He had his head on his right arm and was rolling a car with his free hand.

"What are you doing in here?" she softly questioned, squatting down to place herself in front of him.

"Wait Mommy," he replied with a smile, which was hid behind his pacifier.

"You were waiting for me?"

He slowly nodded his head and looked up at her with his eyes.

"Come on." She carefully lifted him into her arms before standing. "Let's go see your new room," she murmured into his ear, which made him grin and hide his face in her neck.

"He's not in the bath-" Rick stopped speaking when he noticed Noah in Kate's arms. "Found you."

"He was lying on the ground and rolling a car," Kate stated with a smile. "Let's go show him his new room."

"Sounds like a good idea," Rick enthusiastically agreed with a fast nod. He headed toward the stairs and stopped at the bottom of them. "Come on, Alexis. Let's show Noah his room."

"Okay!" Alexis practically screamed from the kitchen. She slammed one of the cupboards shut and bolted to the stairs.

Once everyone was in front of Noah's new room, Kate bent down, so Noah could turn the handle and open it. After he pushed the door open, his pretty blue eyes widened. Within seconds of taking in most of the stuff, he started to squirm until he was set down. Right when his feet touched the floor, he ran toward one of the walls and tilted his head back.

"Batman!" he exclaimed with a squeal. He quickly turned his head and noticed all his other favorite superheroes along his walls. "Hulk Mash!" he happily shouted while clapping his hands.

"Told you that he'd love it," Rick lightly nudged Kate's arm, getting a joyous smile from her.

"In dere?" Noah questioned while peering into one of the many boxes on the floor. He lifted his head to see Alexis beside him, which made him grin. "Mine room?"

"Yeah!" Alexis cheered while hopping up and down, causing him to giggle.

He stopped attempting to see what was in the box and ran over to his toddler bed that was in the far right corner, away from the window. He patted the Batman blanket before climbing up. As he laid down because he felt a little lightheaded, he noticed all his favorite colors on the ceiling.

"Thems?" he asked while pointing up.

Rick carefully knelt down on the floor beside Noah's bed. "Those are paint splatters. Alexis was the one who came up with the idea."

"Lessis," Noah stated while turning his head to see his friend biting at her bracelet.

"Show him the thing now, Daddy?" Alexis inquired while looking between her dad and Kate.

"Alright." Rick got back onto his feet and gently lifted Noah into his arms. Since he didn't get any objections, he carried the boy over to his toy box at the foot of his bed. "This is your very first, very special comic book that I'm giving you," he explained while pointing to the picture frame.

"Batman, Supe-man." Noah paused, trying to figure out how to pronounce the next guy's name. "Robin!"

"Yes, this is the World's Finest Comics No. 2. It's one of my prized possessions and I'm letting you have it."

"Lotta moneys?" Noah questioned while leaning his head back to see Rick's face. "Mommy no buy comics. Lotta moneys."

"Let's just say that it's worth a lot," Rick replied with a cheerful smile.

Noah wrapped his arms around Rick's neck and hugged him. He then let his stare fall on his mom who was wiping at her eyes.

"Mommy 'kay?" he nervously asked with a frown.

"Yes, baby, I'm okay," Kate answered with a slight smile, still trying to get the tears behind her eyes to disappear.

Never did she think Rick would do that and with such sincerity and love in the way he spoke. If it wasn't for the two little toddlers in the room, she would kiss him and never stop.

"I have one too, Noah," Alexis said with a nod. "But not Batman."

"See?" Noah questioned while looking at Rick.

"I'll have her show you," Rick answered as he set Noah on the floor. He watched Alexis take his hand into hers before walking out of the room.

Within seconds of them being out of sight, Rick felt hands on the sides of his face and soft, wet lips against his own. When Kate pulled away from him, he had to regain his breath that she stole.

"W-what was that for?"

"Being you," she hummed while holding his eyes with hers. "Being the most loving man that I know."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she whispered before pulling him in for another, longer kiss.

This time, he pulled away and was stunned when his lip was being tugged between her teeth. He was ready to push her into the wall and get what he knew they both wanted, but the kids were down the hall and would be back any minute.

"You are such a tease," he playfully growled while pulling her waist to him. "You make it hard to contain myself."

"I know."

"You know?"

She lightly shrugged her shoulders while biting down on her bottom lip with a sly smirk.

"See! Right there!" he basically shouted.

"Oh, you big baby," she deeply laughed before laying her head against his chest. "We will be sleeping in the same bed every night now."

"Sleeping? Who said anything about sleeping?"

"We will eventually have to sleep because I have to work and we have Noah and Alexis to care for."

"True." He rested the bottom of his chin on the top of her head and smiled at the doorway when he saw Alexis and Noah appear, her still holding his hand.

"Mommy," Noah whined while rubbing his eye.

Kate sluggishly lifted herself off of Rick and rushed over to Noah. She gently lifted him into her arms and held him close.

"Little Batman needs to get better soon," she soothingly murmured into his ear.

"Then we can play fun stuffs and go see the fishies again!" Alexis added in with a squeak.

"Yes, we can go see the fishies and the dinosaurs. You two will be living together now, so you will always get to play when you wake up," Rick stated with a bright smile.

"Yeah!" Alexis exclaimed while looking up at Kate. "I love you," she happily spoke while hugging Kate's legs.

Kate kept her eyes locked with Rick's as she used one of her hands to hold the back of Alexis' head. "I love you too, sweetie."

"I got it!" Alexis yelled as she pulled away and ran out of the room.

It wasn't until then did everyone else hear the knocking at the door. Since Henry wasn't working today, the other doorman usually let anyone that didn't look threatening in. Rick didn't think anyone else was coming over until Noah was better, so he exited the room with Kate not too far behind him.

As they descended the steps and stood by the loft door, he nodded to Alexis, giving her the go to answer it.

Alexis pulled the door all the way back and went wide-eyed when she saw who was behind it.

"Hey," Sorenson greeted in an almost whisper with a slight smile.

Alexis narrowed her eyes at the man before running off to go play.

"What are you doing here?" Kate questioned as she rubbed Noah's back and stepped forward.

"I was, um, wondering if I could spend some time with Noah, if he's alright with it," Sorenson spoke while looking into her eyes.

"He's sick right now, but yeah, if he's okay with it," she replied while turning her head to see Noah staring at his dad. "When you're better do you want to go out with your daddy?"

"No mean?" Noah questioned Sorenson.

"I won't do anything like that again, buddy. I'm so sorry that I did," Sorenson sincerely answered, trying to fight back the guilty tears forming in his eyes. "But I'm going to be leaving the state soon and I would love it if we spent some time together."

Noah turned his head toward his mom, noticing that she was calm. He then reached for the floor until he was set down. He ran forward and looked up.

"Batman?"

"The Riddler," Sorenson responded while squatting down with a playful smirk.

Noah's eyes went as wide as possible as his pacifier fell out of his mouth. "Him know Batman!" he squealed with joy.

"Yeah, that's your daddy's favorite superhero," Kate said with a smile while leaning into Rick's side.

"It's yours too," Sorenson stated, keeping his eyes glued on Noah.

"Makes sense," Rick added in.

"Right?" Sorenson questioned.

"The whole losing a loved one and seeking justice…" Rick trailed off when he noticed the glare he was receiving from Kate.

"Okay, little guy," Sorenson said. "How about you have your mommy call me when you feel better?" he asked since he could sense the tension in the air and felt like he wasn't wanted here.

"Play me?" Noah asked while looking up.

"Of course. We can play with loads of Batman stuff and other toys if you want."

Noah quickly spun around and almost fell over. He stared at his mom with a giant smile.

"Yes, we can call him when you feel better," she sadly agreed.

"Alright, buddy, I'll see you soon," Sorenson promised as he ruffled Noah's hair.

"Can you call me tonight?" Kate inquired before Sorenson left.

"When I get out of work, yes," Sorenson said with a nod before glancing down at Noah and walking away.

Rick walked forward and closed the door, locking it in the process.

"Wow," Kate spoke with her exhale.

"That was a surprise," Rick nearly whispered since he was still shocked.

Noah kept looking between his mom and Rick until they both noticed. He smiled up at them before lifting his arms to Rick.

"We can talk later?" Rick inquired while hoisting Noah onto his hip.

"Yeah, later," Kate murmured while her two boys walked away from the door.

She was not looking forward to Noah being alone with Sorenson, but it had been months and she knew he was stable. The whole bit about him leaving the state confused her. If he was leaving for his job, she would be so pissed, but then again, she wouldn't care because Rick was there for Noah way more than he was. That was all she needed to be okay with the assumption that Sorenson was leaving the state for his job, again.

…..

"What are you doing?" Rick whispered, even though the kids were upstairs fast asleep and he was in his office.

"I love the view," Kate answered with a tired smile while sitting on the window seat.

"What's in your hand?" he raised his eyebrow before walking over to her.

"Baby monitor," she replied while shaking it. "Noah still wakes up in the middle of the night sometimes."

"Ah, I see." He slowly sat down by her feet. "What did Sorenson have to say?"

"He is for sure leaving for his job. He got a better offer in Washington D.C."

"Really?"

"Don't sound so relieved. As much as I dislike that he hit our son, Noah deserves to get to know him."

"That's true and I'm glad that Noah didn't freak out like he did before. That psychologist really helps, huh?"

"Yeah."

"You know," he began to say, but opted out. "Never mind."

"You can't do that."

"Do what?"

She slowly turned her head toward him, narrowing her eyes into his. "Start a sentence and say never mind."

He brought his hand through his hair and gave her his charming smile. "We should have a date night soon."

"Who is gonna watch the kids?"

"Either we can separate them or find someone who would be willing enough to watch them both?"

"Or we could put them to bed before we have someone watch them."

"Ohh, a night out on the town. I like that."

She shook her head with a tired grin. "Where would we go?"

"We could go someplace for a late dinner then wherever you want."

"Mm. We should go dancing."

"Dancing?"

"Yeah."

"Anything you want. As long as you're having fun."

She nodded before bring her gaze back to the window. She observed all the skyscrapers and lights in the night sky.

"What's on your mind?" he murmured while gently pushing some of her hair behind her ear.

"I know Noah isn't too attached to his dad, but I feel like it's my fault he's leaving," she admitted with a sigh.

"Kate, it is anything but your fault. He loves his job and his kid because I could see it in his eyes earlier. He feels guilty and maybe that's why he's running. Maybe he feels it's best for Noah."

"Or because he will always put his job before our son." Kate angrily bit down on her bottom lip and glared down at the baby monitor.

"That's how Meredith is." Rick saw how Kate's curious eyes fell on him. "Her so called acting comes before Alexis. The only time it didn't was when she was in labor and home for a few months afterwards. Other then that, I was the mom and dad."

"It's cute that you're Mr. Mom," Kate softly chuckled.

"It happens, but that's not the point. The point is that there are some people that will always put their job before their kids, yet still love them. You and I are not like that, so we don't understand what goes through those kinds of parents' heads. For all we know, they think they are doing what's right for their kid, when really it's not."

"You're so smart," Kate murmured with her head against the wall, trailing her eyes down Rick's handsome face.

"It's what I learned with Alexis. Meredith is very neglectful, but she does love her. Maybe not as much as me, but close."

"I love her too," Kate happily exhaled.

"You have no idea how much that means to me."

"I think I do because you love Noah like I love Alexis."

"Touché."

Kate nodded to herself before turning up the volume on the baby monitor. Her son's stuffy but steady breathing helped her come to terms with Sorenson's leaving.

She hated knowing that Noah would barely know his own dad. Even though Sorenson said he'd call once a week and visit on holidays, it wouldn't be the same. But thankfully, Rick would be in her little boy's life and she couldn't ask for anyone better to be his father figure.

"How about we head to bed?" Rick spoke, which brought her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah," she hummed, holding the baby monitor to her chest as she slid off the window seat.

When she was pulled into Rick's arms, she let out a joyous sigh.

"I love you, Kate," he lowly mumbled into her ear. "So much."

"I love you too," she whispered back before his lips met hers.

Once they pulled away, he gently took hold of her hand and led her into the bedroom. She knew what he was thinking, but she was so tired and her mind was still on Noah and Sorenson.

"How about some other time?" she questioned while climbing under the covers.

"That's fine by me," he replied as he followed her and pulled her into his arms. "Your first night in your new home."

"With the man I love," she added in with a smile.

"And the two little ones upstairs."

Kate turned on her side, so she would be facing him. "How do you think you will manage with two toddlers while I'm at work?"

"Well, Alexis starts preschool in September, so that won't be too bad because it will be just me and Noah unless you put him in daycare or something."

"That's totally up to you because you will be the one watching him."

"Um." Rick opened his mouth to say more, but quickly closed it.

"Speak up."

He anxiously itched the back of his head. "We can talk about it in the morning."

He could sense that he was being glared at, but he didn't want to discuss what he was going to say because it was late and they both needed sleep. Besides, it would be better if he told her about him following her at the precinct in the morning, after she had her coffee.

"Why do I feel like you're hiding the biggest secret from me right now?" she inquired with a growl.

"I'm not hiding a secret," he chortled and shook his head. "But let's go to sleep before we only get five hours."

"Five? What time is it?"

Rick turned toward his alarm clock. "Quarter to midnight."

"When did I put Noah to sleep?" she asked out of confusion.

"You never looked at the clock, did you?"

"No…"

"You carried him upstairs at about nine then, you came back down and took a shower before texting Sorenson to see if he was still awake."

"I was on the phone with him for almost two hours?"

"I guess so," Rick deeply chuckled before pulling her closer to him. He rested his chin against the top of her head. "Instead of trying to remember the time and everything, why don't you try to sleep?"

"Mm, maybe," she sleepily answered, snuggling into his chest to take in the scent of his cologne.

"See, you're tired," he whispered into her ear before kissing her forehead. "Night, Kate."

"Night," she replied with a yawn.

He eventually noticed how her breathing became steady and how the weight against him became heavier, indicating that she fell asleep. A smile made its way across his lips as he closed his eyes. He finally had everything he ever wanted: the woman of his dreams, two little kids - though one technically wasn't his, but he considered Noah to be - and they were all living together. He also was almost finished with his last Derrick Storm novel, which meant he really had to talk to Kate about following her around at the precinct.

He would worry about that in the morning. Until then, he wanted to sleep with his beautiful girlfriend and happily wake up next to her.


	29. Chapter 29

It was early in the morning and Rick could hear little whispers surrounding him. He tiredly rubbed his eyes to help with waking up. After he opened them, he saw his two favorite girls.

"Morning, beautifuls," he yawned with a grin.

"No more sleeping, Daddy," Alexis said with a nod. "Time to eat!"

Rick scanned the bed until he realized that Noah wasn't there.

"He's still asleep," Kate spoke since she knew who he was looking for.

"What time is it?" Rick glanced over at his alarm clock to see that it was almost eight in the morning. "Why am I up so early?" he groaned into his hands.

"Because I have to go to work and this little one wants your famous smiley pancakes," Kate replied as she playfully pulled Alexis into her arms.

"Okay," Rick sighed before sitting up. He slid off the bed and stretched for what felt like five minutes.

"Now that you're up, I'm off to work," Kate announced as she stood on the floor and made her way to the door.

"Wait," Rick called out while running up to her. He wanted to tell her how he was, possibly, going to be shadowing her at work, and he had to do it before he lost his courage. "I need to talk to you about something."

"Can it wait until after I come home?"

"No," he seriously answered, making her eyes narrow at him.

He turned toward Alexis and gave her a welcoming smile. "Why don't you go pick out what you want to wear today and then we can make the pancakes together."

"Okay!" Alexis enthusiastically responded as she practically flew off the bed and ran past her dad and Kate.

Once Alexis was out of the room, he turned back toward Kate. He was so nervous that she'd yell at him and not allow him to be at the precinct, but she was his muse. And the idea he had for his next book would definitely be the best he would ever write.

"I already talked to your Captain and even the mayor. They would allow me to shadow you on cases for research," he stammered as he began to sweat.

"No," Kate answered without giving it any further thought. She turned on her heel and made her way out of the office.

"But they are allowing me!"

"I don't care. You're not following me on cases because if anything were to happen to you, I would not be able to forgive myself," she openly admitted while she made her way to the loft door.

"I could stay in the car or get my own bullet proof vest. Kate, the idea I have for my next book needs hands on research."

"You don't need hands on. I could give you all the information you need if you want to write about a detective. Sorry, but you're _not _shadowing me."

"It's too late," he mumbled and instantly became wide-eyed when she started to charge at him.

She roughly poked his chest. "You went behind my back to get permission on following me," she growled her accusation.

"Listen, I know you think that I'd be a dangerous person while following you around, but I won't. I will stay in the car until you give me the okay to exit and run into the building with you and your team," he explained his intentions.

"I can't believe you right now," she deeply spoke. "If you ever go behind my back again, it will not end well."

"Kate, please. I'll do anything you say at the precinct and when you're going after suspects. I don't want to worry you, so I will listen to every single word you say. That and I will be nervous, which will make me hesitate," he pleaded with puppy eyes.

Kate sharply bit down on her bottom lip, searching his eyes for any sign of a lie. Since she couldn't find one, she let out an exasperated sigh and constricted her arms across her chest.

"One case. That's all you get."

"I will make you change your mind," he spoke with a large smirk.

"Doubt it," she irritably replied while she pulled the door open.

"I love you," he announced before she walked out.

Moments after, his face was being held and pulled down. His lips were connected with her silky ones and he was receiving the most desperate kiss he ever had from her. He carefully pulled her away and noticed that her eyes were still closed.

"I'm sorry," he murmured while planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Don't go behind my back again," she whispered as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I meant to ask you about it, but I didn't have enough courage."

She let out a low laugh, which made him get chills for some strange reason.

"I intimidate you and I like that." She lightly kissed a spot on his neck before getting out of his arms.

"It's an alright characteristic of yours." He laughed when she playfully slapped his chest.

"I have to go to work. You have breakfast to make for the little ones _and_ you have to find a babysitter because you said you would."

"Right. I forgot. Um, I'll find one. If not we can go out some other time." He nodded with a smile as she stepped through the doorway.

"If Noah doesn't behave, let me know the moment he's not because you always forget the details."

"That's very true and I don't understand how."

"Because you don't want to get him in trouble."

"Uh, sort of," Rick nervously replied.

"He needs to learn not to do certain things, Rick, and if you say that you will watch him while I'm at work, you need to teach him."

"I know," he agreed with a slight nod.

"Okay then. You're going to make me late, so I'll see you when I get out." She waved before heading down the hall.

He closed the door when she was out of view and rested his back against it. He just dodged a pretty huge bullet. The plus side was that he'd be able to shadow her. Even though she said one case, he knew he could get her to allow him to help with other ones. Besides, he was educated enough on how catching murderers went, he just needed to see how _she _went about it.

…..

"Noah, come here," Kate gently commanded while waiting in the living room.

Within seconds, she could hear little running feet making their way to her. When Noah was in front of her, she snaked an arm around his body, so he couldn't dash away.

"Esposito is going to watch you and Alexis tonight," she told him as he attempted to escape her hold. "And you better behave or else I'm telling him to put you to bed early."

"Sito!" Noah happily cheered and clapped his hands together.

"Yes, Esposito. You can play with him and Alexis for a little while if you let me put your pajamas on you."

"No jammies. Play!" Noah loudly exclaimed while he grunted, thinking it would help him get free.

"If you don't calm down, you will go to bed and not play at all," Kate threatened, which made him stand still and pout. "Don't be sad." She gently poked his bottom lip.

"Them?" he questioned while looking at the clothes in her lap.

"Arms up."

He didn't protest and lifted his arms above his head. After his shirt was off, he patted his stomach with a large grin.

"You have to keep those arms up," she gently spoke as he lifted them. She slid his baseball shirt on and quickly tickled under his arms before they returned to his sides.

"No!" he shrieked and nearly fell head first into the coffee table until he was lifted into his mom's lap.

"Soon we are going to be able to buy you little underwear instead of pull-ups," she said into his ear.

"Batman kinds?" he questioned while tilting his head back to see her.

"I think they have Batman." She gently planted a kiss on his forehead before shifting her gaze toward the noise on the stairs.

Alexis was attempting to run down the steps while holding onto the railing and a small box. She ended up throwing the box down, so she could get to the bottom quicker. She hopped onto the square landing and slid down the remaining stairs.

"I think Alexis wants to show you something," Kate said to Noah before she stood him up and took his jeans off him. Luckily, her arm hooked around his body before he ran off and she could get his pajama pants on him. "Now go," she announced as she moved her arm out of his way.

Noah bolted to his friend and made himself topple over to stop running. He looked up at Alexis and grinned ear to ear as he stood on his knees.

"Shiny rocks," she enthused while taking the lid of the box off and holding it in front of him.

"Ooh," he said in awe, quickly grabbing onto the purple one. He held it close to his eyes while getting onto his feet. "Pretty."

"I like that one too," she agreed with a nod.

He glanced at his friend for a moment before darting off with the rock because he wanted to keep it.

"Hey! That's mine!" she shrieked before placing her box on the floor.

"What's yours?" Kate questioned as she walked over. She finished brushing her hair when she saw the anger behind Alexis' blue eyes. "What did he take?" she asked with a sigh.

"My purple rock. Daddy calls it a crystal," Alexis frustratingly answered as she began to search for Noah's hiding spot.

Kate was about to follow her until she heard knocking at the loft door. Since Rick was still getting ready, she walked over to the noise and unlocked the handle. After pulling the door open, she was greeted with a happy Esposito.

"You're actually on time," she acknowledged with a smile.

"Castle said to arrive a little early, so he can explain some rules or something like that," he replied with a single nod.

"Wow. He really doesn't know who to ask, does he?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Come in," she gave a stifled laugh as she led him away from the door.

"Sito!" Noah practically screamed from the kitchen, but the moment he saw his mom and Alexis looking at him, he bolted the opposite way.

"No!" Alexis shrieked and chased him to her dad's office. She watched him run into the bedroom and under the bed, so she got down on her stomach and peered under. "Gimme it!"

"Mine pretty," Noah loudly replied with furrowed brows.

"It's mine!"

"Enough yelling!" Rick irritably demanded, much louder than the kids.

"Mine pretty!" Noah screamed in a high pitch manner just as his upper arms were grabbed.

He tried to grab onto the floor to stop from being dragged out, but he didn't want to let go of the rock. Instead, he clutched it to his chest with both hands and tightly shut his eyes.

"Listen here, you will stop yelling and give the thing back to Alexis," Kate threatened as she looked down to see Noah kicking his legs. She shook her head and set him on the bed before grabbing hold of his wrists. "Let go, Noah."

"Mine," Noah whined and attempted to get his mom's fingers to stop uncurling his own.

He couldn't think of any other way to escape, so he twisted his body to the right until he felt his hands collide with something hard. When he looked to see what it was, he noticed his mom's hand over her mouth. It didn't take long for him to understand what he hit since her eyes were shut and she was touching her lip.

"Uh oh," Esposito and Alexis said at the same time, causing Alexis to giggle and rush into his leg for a hug.

Noah caught a glimpse of Esposito before his eyes started to well with warm tears and he stared up at his mom.

"I not mean it," he guiltily cried out as fat tears made their way down his cheeks.

"Give me it," Kate demanded with her hand toward him.

Noah let the rock slip out of his hand before rubbing his eyes to try and stop his crying.

"I know you didn't mean to hit me," Kate said in a more soothing manner than before. "You just need to listen and stuff like that won't happen."

"I saw-wee," he blubbered before he was lifted into her arms and carried out of the room.

Alexis watched them walk into the office. She then turned toward the bed and ran for it. Just as she was about to climb the side, she was lifted onto it, and playfully dropped.

"Tickle monster!" Esposito yelled, making a scream escape from her.

She felt his large fingers tickling her sides and stomach, which made her laugh so hard that she thought it would never end. When he did stop, she opened her eyes and sat up.

"Not fair!" she angrily accused with a frown.

"You were laughing," he pointed out with a large grin.

"That's true, Alexis," Rick added in, getting a pouty lip from her. "Maybe if you didn't laugh, he wouldn't have kept tickling you." He climbed onto the bed and sat beside her. "Like this!" he announced seconds before he began to endlessly tickle her.

"Help!" she shrieked through her laughter.

"I'm going to go lay him down. I didn't realize it was bedtime," Kate said from the doorway, which made all eyes except Alexis' fall on her.

"Thank you," Alexis breathlessly said to Kate before sliding off the bed and attempting to run. Just as she was about to make it to Kate, she was lifted under Esposito's arm.

"How does little girl football sound to you?" Esposito questioned Rick, getting a devious smirk in return.

"Let's bring the football outside and play catch," Rick jokingly said.

"No! Help!" Alexis reached her arms for Kate, but was brought back to the bed. "Help!" she shouted when she was lifted above Esposito's head. She quickly covered her eyes with her hands until she felt her dad's bed under her again.

"We wouldn't really throw you around," Esposito explained with a joyous smile. "When does she go to bed?" he asked Rick.

"Never!" Alexis answered before her dad could. She rushed off the bed and ran over to Kate. She looked up at her friend who had a sippy cup in his mouth. "No sleep!"

"Yes, sleep. I'm going to read him a story while you-" Kate gently poked Alexis' nose, creating soft giggles. "-get ready for bed."

"I am ready," Alexis replied while patting her Tinkerbell pajamas. "But I'm not going!" She attempted to leave the room, but was stopped by Kate's arm.

"Does this little one get to stay up late tonight?" she directed her question toward Rick.

"That's up to Esposito. He's the one watching her," Rick answered while his eyes shifted to his daughter.

"I don't mind as long as she's quiet while the little dude sleeps." Esposito shrugged while observing how tired Noah actually looked. "It's only 9:14. How is he tired?"

"He's a little kid. That's how," Kate answered while she rolled her eyes. "Come on. I'll read you a story before I leave." She kissed the side of Noah's head.

"Night, Noah," Rick said aloud with a grin.

"Nigh-nigh!" Alexis added in.

"Goodnight, little dude," Esposito happily joined.

"Nigh-nigh," Noah repeated his friend while looking at everyone in the room. After, he rested his head on his mom's shoulder as she carried him away.

"Looks like you only have to handle one of the little rugrats," Rick announced as he watched Alexis observe Esposito.

"That's no problem." Esposito made his way over to Alexis and knelt down in front of her. "What would you like to do?"

"Build a puzzle!" Alexis exclaimed with such joy that she couldn't stand still, so she bolted out of the room to find a puzzle to make.

"I don't know how you guys handle two toddlers at once." Esposito stood up straight and glanced at Rick who was combing his hair back.

"It's actually not hard. The only time it is hard is when they are hyped up on sugar or exhausted, but they are little kids that can't exactly control their temperament yet, so it's really not bad at all."

"Hyped up on sugar sounds like a fun time," Esposito laughed while shaking his head.

"Only if you're not in public or trying to get them to sleep."

"True. So… where are you guys going tonight?" Esposito inquired while he plopped down on the bed.

"Random clubs since she wants to go dancing. Other than that, I have no clue. I like to go with the flow when it comes to having a night out on the town," Rick answered with a wide grin. "You said you don't have to be to work in the morning, right?"

"I do, but I told Ryan that I'd be a little late." Esposito shrugged while his eyes scanned the large bedroom.

"I'll make sure we come home early," Rick promised with a nod.

…..

After what Kate thought was their third club, but really sixth, she pulled out her phone to see if she had any texts from Esposito. She opened up the photo message and leaned into Rick's side with a large grin.

"What?" Rick questioned as he tried to hail a cab.

"Look." She held up her phone and watched the awe appear on his face.

"Alexis kissed Noah goodnight?"

"Oh, there's actually a video," Kate said to herself when she scrolled through the other messages. She opened the video and hit play.

Alexis was holding Noah's hand as he was crying. She led him to his bed and pointed until he climbed in. Once Noah had his head on his pillow and sippy cup in his mouth, she planted a kiss on his forehead. Then, the video ended.

"He must have woken up from a nightmare and went downstairs. What's the timestamp?" Rick questioned while waving his arm for a cab.

"10:34."

"What time is it now?"

Kate checked her watch instead of her phone. Her eyes went extremely wide.

"What?" Rick inquired as he pulled open the back door of a cab he finally got.

"It's almost 1 o'clock," she answered as she rushed into the backseat.

"Aw man. I told Espo that I'd make sure we were home early."

"Why?"

"He has to work in the morning…"

Kate irritably ran her hand down her face. Since she was sitting down, the very little alcohol she consumed was starting to go to her head. As Rick gave the driver the address, she let her head rest on his shoulder.

"Are you drunk?" Rick asked with a snort.

"No," she growled her answer.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Stop asking me questions!"

"But that's what you do for a living." He gently snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her in closer. "Did you at least have fun?"

"I did." She nodded against him. "Did you?"

"Wanna know something?"

"You're going to tell me anyway."

He softly kissed the top of her head. "You made me aroused every time that you were dancing on me."

It was as if something took over Kate and she could _not _stop laughing. She even hid her face in his side to silence herself.

"What?" he chortled while trying not to have a laughing fit like her.

"I just… I remember seeing the look on your face the first time I started dancing on you. You were completely caught off guard and gawked at me for about… ten seconds," she explained while lifting her head to look at him.

"You surprised me and that's okay. Surprise me all you want," he deeply spoke while quirking his brows.

She shook her head with a large smile before she looked out the window. Her eyes widened and she let them fall on him again.

"Can we get pizza?" she childishly questioned.

"You, out of all people, want pizza?"

"Please?" She pouted, which made her get a quick peck from him.

"Of course, but let's take it back to the house, so Espo can go home and get some sleep."

…..

The moment they stumbled into the loft, Rick set the pizza box on the floor to assist Kate with taking her heels off since she almost fell in the hall. He knew she was close to being drunk, even though she believed herself to be sober.

"Sh." He grabbed her arm because she was creating a lot of noise and he didn't want to wake the kids.

"Sorry, sir party pooper," she said with a laugh as she slid her heels off while grasping onto his shoulders.

"And you say that you're not drunk." He smirked before grabbing the pizza and following her into the living room.

He was too busy opening the top of the box and drooling over the melting cheese, which made him run into her.

"What?" he whispered as he lifted his head.

Esposito was conked out on the couch with his leg over the top and Alexis cuddled to his side. Her comforter from her bed was draped over the both of them and she was under it the most. It was the disaster in the living room that Rick guessed made Kate come to a standstill.

Toys were practically covering the whole floor and there were snacks on the coffee table. Looked like Alexis was a handful for Esposito… unless he let her stay up to play. Then again, Rick didn't exactly give him a set time to put her to sleep.

Kate walked to the back of the couch and roughly flicked the back of Esposito's head, making him snap awake and nearly fall off.

"What was that for?" he whispered while rubbing his head.

"For letting this giant mess happen in our house," she snarled at him.

"I can clean it up before I leave. It was impossible to because Alexis kept wanting to play and not relax, even though I put her in her room a dozen times."

"Do you want some pizza before you go?" Rick inquired while holding up the large pizza box.

"Nah, I'm good. I have to get home to sleep and go to work in the morning. But I will stay and help pick this up," Esposito softly answered as he cautiously slid Alexis off his side and onto the couch, so he could stand.

"Don't bother," Rick announced from the kitchen. "I can handle it."

"I am _not_ picking this up," Kate exasperatedly said.

"You don't have to. I will," Rick reassured while he took plates out of the cupboard and set them on the pizza box.

"I'm gonna go, though," Esposito sleepily spoke as he walked over to the loft door. "I'll see you Monday, Beckett."

"Wait!" Rick nearly shouted while he set the pizza supplies on the counter. He ran over to Esposito and dug out forty dollars from his back pocket. "Here," he breathlessly said while handing it to him.

"I babysat as a favor," Esposito dismissed the offer. "Besides, you can always invite me back over to watch a baseball game when the season starts. How does that sound?"

"Fine," Rick huffed and noticed the grin on his friend's face.

"Have a good night you two," Esposito loudly said, so Kate could hear from the other room.

Rick closed the door after Esposito walked through and locked everything. Then, he walked back into the living room to see Alexis in Kate's arms.

"Want me to carry her?" he whispered his question.

"I got it," she murmured and carefully headed to the stairs with Alexis fast asleep on her shoulder.

Rick followed her into his daughter's room and stood at the foot of the bed. He observed how careful Kate was with lying Alexis on her mattress and how gently she unwrapped the blanket around her small body.

"Sweet dreams," Kate hummed before planting a soft kiss on the girl's forehead. She spun around, causing herself to become a little dizzy, until her eyes fell on Rick. "What?"

"You have natural mother instincts. I like seeing them," he happily whispered before stepping to the side of Alexis' bed. He leaned down and lovingly kissed her cheek. "Sleep well, Pumpkin."

Once he was standing straight and he turned around, he noticed that Kate wasn't in the room with him anymore. He sped into the hall, closing Alexis' door a little, before heading toward the stairs. Right when he passed Noah's room, he skidded to a stop since the door was open.

Kate warily ran her fingers through Noah's hair, not wanting to wake him out of his deep slumber. When she heard a small sigh escape from him, she quickly withdrew her hand and planted a kiss on his nose before he woke up.

"Sweet dreams, baby boy," she hummed while running her fingers down his cheek. She slowly stood up, keeping her eyes on him the entire time. The second she stepped into the hall, she jumped from Rick leaning against the opposite wall. "Jesus."

"My turn," he excitedly rushed into Noah's room and squatted down beside the bed. He gently kissed the boy's forehead and studied his looks for a moment. "Night, Little Batman," he murmured.

Once back in the hall, the collar of his shirt was grabbed and pulled down. His lips were met with Kate's feverish ones, and he had a feeling it was the alcohol she consumed, but he didn't care, so he soundlessly pinned her against the hall wall and made his way to her neck, finding her weak spot.

"We can't do this here," she slightly stammered into his ear.

Without warning, she was lifted into his arms and carried down the stairs. She kissed at his jawline until her back connected with his bed and his hands were hectically moving up her dress.

Though her mind was in a fog, from their kissing and the alcohol, she managed to rip the buttons apart on his shirt and gradually run her hands down his chest. Once they were at his waist, she unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants. She tugged them down a little before her hands entered his boxers.

The wide, blue eyes that were on her caused her let out a throaty laugh. She kept her hand where it was and made herself sit up, so she could kiss up his chest and to his neck.

"I got you now," she seductively murmured into his ear.

"I can't wait anymore," he groaned before pinning her against the bed.

Once they were both satisfied, Kate carelessly slid off the bed and walked into the kitchen without putting any clothes on. She returned with the pizza and plates.

"You know, watching you walk out of here… the moon making your skin glimmer… makes me wonder how we manage to stop," Rick chortled with a playful grin.

"I don't know, but I'm hungry," she replied while taking a piece of pizza out of the box. She set it on one of the paper plates before climbing back onto the bed and sitting against his side. "I think this is the best pizza that I've ever had," she spoke the moment after she took a bite.

"You're the best piece of-" His mouth was being covered by her hand, so he couldn't speak.

"Don't even say it," she threatened while narrowing her eyes at him. She hesitantly removed her hand from over his mouth.

"You're the best piece of woman I could ever get?" he uncertainly asked, making her laugh at him. "What?"

"I don't know." She shrugged with a smile.

"So, next week I start shadowing you. How does that make you feel?"

"Next week?" she loudly inquired.

"I talked to your dad about him taking Noah for two days a week and my mother taking Alexis. That way I can get research without worrying about the kids," he enthusiastically explained.

"Want to know something?"

"What?"

"We don't even have a case yet. You're only going to shadow me _once_ and when we have a case," she intensely ordered.

"Ay ay Captain," he jokingly replied, making a furious glare come his way. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Are you going to eat any pizza?" she inquired to get off the topic at hand.

"Only if you stop hogging it," he teased with a smile before being handed the pizza box.

"I had fun tonight," she randomly stated.

"Me too."

"Let's do this more often, but maybe not stay out so late."

"Agreed."

"And maybe next time, ask someone to babysit that won't destroy our house."

"He didn't _destroy_ it," Rick effortlessly defended Esposito.

"I must be blind then because what I saw in the living room and kitchen looked like something I would see after a tornado hit."

"Okay. Fine. Next time, Ryan _and_ Esposito can babysit."

"I don't think that'd work out because if I have the day off, it's either Ryan or Esposito that has to work."

"Oh…"

"Finish your pizza, so I can go to sleep," she impatiently demanded.

"Someone is so bossy tonight!"

She bopped the back of his head, making his eyes fall on her. "Fine. I'll sleep while you eat." She began to crawl under the blankets while hearing his defeated sigh.

"Give me a second and I'll join."

Within the next ten minutes, his arms were draped around her beautiful, naked body and he was listening to her steady breathing, which always made him more tired than before. He closed his eyes while taking in the smell of her perfume, even though it wasn't as strong since they were in clubs and just made love, but it was still there.

He loved her so much and he knew she loved him too. That was his last thought before he fell asleep a happy man.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: Guess what guys... The next chapter is most likely the final chapter for this fanfic and it <em>will_ be lengthy.  
><em>**


	30. Chapter 30

**_AN: So it's not as lengthy as I thought it was going to be, but it's exactly how I wanted to end it._**

* * *

><p>Three weeks flew by since Rick started to shadow Kate at work. He would go there on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, days the kids had a babysitter. They just completed a case yesterday and he was already dying for more. He begged and pleaded for her to let him stay and it worked. Well, it only worked because he actually followed her rules, which were a buzz kill, but he understood. He didn't want to worry her when she already had to worry about herself and getting home safe for the people that loved her.<p>

He finished packing his clothes in a suitcase, all ready for their one-week vacation that he managed to get her to agree to. He also persuaded Montgomery to let her have the time off, which didn't take much, only a couple Yankees tickets when the season started.

"Look at who I found in my makeup," Kate announced from behind him, making him spin around to face her.

She was holding Alexis under her arm. His daughter had purple eye shadow all along her cheeks, completely missing her eyelids. It also looked like she tried to paint a picture with mascara on her forehead; something he knew wasn't easy to get off either.

"Alexis…" He shook his head in disapproval, although he wanted to smile because he found it adorable that she went through Kate's makeup.

"I have to be pretty like Kate, Daddy," Alexis explained with a giant smile. She tilted her head towards Kate then back at her dad.

"You're very pretty, but you shouldn't go through Kate's things without her permission. And I bet if you asked, she would be willing to put makeup on you," Rick sternly spoke, witnessing his daughter's defeated sigh.

"Sorry," Alexis sadly uttered and attempted to squirm out of Kate's hold.

"Let's clean you up and finish packing your stuff," Kate suggested before carrying Alexis back to the master bathroom.

"Where's Noah?" Rick questioned behind his shoulder as he struggled to zip his bag. He ended up sitting on it to at least get the zipper started.

"He's watching Batman the Brave and Bold in the living room," Kate loudly answered because she started the sink on full blast.

"Oh, I love that cartoon," Rick softly said to himself before hopping off his bag and making his way to the living room. When he saw Noah lying with his legs on the back of the couch, so he would almost be upside down, he chuckled.

"Batman," Noah happily exclaimed and pointed to the TV.

"We can bring Batman DVDs into the car, so you can watch it while we drive down to Myrtle Beach. Unless your mommy agrees and we take a plane," Rick said as he planted himself on the couch beside Noah.

"Want plane!" Noah shouted and flung himself onto his stomach before sliding off the couch. He bolted to his mom's bedroom and diverted the bed he almost ran into. Once he was standing in the doorway to the bathroom, he lifted his arms and yelled, "Go on plane, Mommy!"

"No, buddy. We are driving. It'd be too much of a hassle with you two and security checks," Kate condemned her son's idea.

"But go on plane like Daddy. Go fast," Noah begged as he spun around with his arms straight out, illustrating that he was a plane.

Alexis giggled as she observed him, but ended up closing her eyes when she felt the washcloth Kate was using near them.

"I know you saw your Daddy's plane take off and now you want to go on one, but it'd be easier if we use a car," Kate tried to explain while she gently removed the eye shadow from Alexis' cheeks.

"It'd be quicker if we went on a plane," Rick added in from behind Noah. He lifted the boy into his arms and swayed side to side as fast as he could before securing him on his hip. "Right, Noah?"

"We are supposed to be on the road in the morning. How do you expect us to get plane tickets by then?" Kate annoyingly inquired as she got most of the mascara off of Alexis' forehead.

"I could get them right now. First class and everything," Rick excitedly replied as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He had to hold it a little ways from Noah's reach, but that was when Kate snatched it out of his hand. "Hey."

"If we are taking a plane, then I'm paying for mine and Noah's tickets," she insisted before helping Alexis off of the sink.

"Down, down!" Noah nearly screamed because he wanted to play with his friend. After Rick set him back on the floor, he chased Alexis out of the room.

"You're not paying because this is my treat. Next mini vacation we take, you can pay. I promise," Rick gently proposed as he walked further into the bathroom to pull Kate into his arms. "Okay?"

"This whole not-letting-me-buy-anything is really getting on my nerves," she growled into his shirt as her arms wrapped around him.

"You can pay for the food?" he asked, which was followed by a chuckle.

"Fine," she huffed before placing the side of her face against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as she always loved to do.

"Or you can pay for the bullet proof vest I'm having made."

"What?" she inquired, roughly pulling away from him to see his face.

"I, um, special ordered a bullet proof vest…"

She angrily slapped her hand on her forehead and gradually ran it down her face. She held her lips together with two fingers while glaring up at him.

"Better safe then sorry?" he nervously asked with a forced grin.

"If you think you will be following us into a suspect's home instead of waiting for my 'okay', you are out of your damn mind."

"I'll still wait, but what if something happens? Kate, I'm only thinking of the people that love me."

"And you want to pretend to be a cop." She shook her head and tried to hide the small smile that wanted to form across her lips. As much as she hated that he was shadowing her, he was tremendously helpful. "Okay, fine. You can have a bullet proof vest." She saw the look of achievement in his eyes, so she lifted her finger to silent his thoughts. "Only if you promise me that you won't follow us into a building like you did already."

"That was a one time deal. I wanted to do it at least once to get the feel of how you go about it."

"It's in the past," she quickly abolished the conversation at hand. Instead, she walked over to the bed to see his giant bag. "You packed everything?"

"Yes," he answered with a nod.

"Swim trunks?"

"Check."

"Boxers?"

"Check," he chortled while he shook his head.

"And we will be putting all the bathroom necessities in a separate bag, so we can still use them in the morning."

"Yes, Ma'am." She sharply turned toward him, making fear run through his mind faster than ever. "I was kidding," he anxiously squeaked.

"Mhm. Sure," she playfully teased before she exited the bedroom to see what the kids were up to. She skidded to a halt when she saw what they were doing.

They were both on the couch, Alexis standing behind Noah. She was putting barrettes and scrunchies in his hair while he ate Spongebob gummies and watched the TV. Before either one of them looked toward her, she withdrew her phone from her back pocket, zoomed in, and snapped a photo. After she saved it, she sent it to Rick and walked over to the couch.

"Is Alexis playing with your hair?" she questioned Noah with a smile.

"He has to be pretty too," Alexis answered since Noah was too engrossed in the cartoon.

"You both _are_ pretty, silly," Kate gently replied before she quickly pulled Alexis in her lap and tickled her sides. "Got it?"

"I got it! I got it!" Alexis screamed through her silent giggles until she was set back on her feet. She cautiously eyed Kate while she stepped behind Noah again.

"And you-" Kate delicately set her hand on Noah's leg. "-need to stop eating so much."

"Num," Noah distantly responded as a gummy fell out of his mouth. He blindly searched for it, keeping his eyes glued to the TV.

Kate picked the gummy off of his shirt and tapped his lips until they parted. She set it in his mouth before pulling her fingers away and wiping them on her shorts.

"Are you two gonna help pack your things?" she asked while observing how focused Alexis was with getting Noah's curls between a certain clip.

"I will!" Alexis proclaimed as she finally got the clip to stay on Noah's head.

"Noah, do you want to help?" Kate questioned, but didn't get a reply. She rolled her eyes, reached for the remote, and turned the TV off, which definitely got his attention.

"No! Batman on!" Noah loudly whined and began to climb on his mom's lap for the remote.

"We're going to finish packing all your things. After, you can continue watching, okay?" Kate held the remote above her head just as he was about to latch onto it.

"No," he cried out while he gripped onto her shoulders, so he could easily stand on her thighs.

"Pack then Batman then bubbles!" Alexis enthusiastically said while she clapped her hands together.

"That's right. We can pack, watch Batman, take a bubble bath, and watch more Batman before bed," Kate explained as her arm snaked around Noah's body just in case he were to tip over and fall.

Just then, Rick came running into the living room with a Batman mask on. "Come on, Little Batman, we have packing to do," he deeply announced as he put his fists on his hips.

Kate shook her head and chuckled before setting Noah on the floor. She watched him run over to Rick and smile up at him.

"You too, Little Lady," Rick spoke to Alexis. He observed how she slid off the couch and ran to the stairs.

"I will win!" she shouted before dashing up them.

Kate slid off the couch and followed the giggling toddlers up the steps and down the hall. She leaned against the door frame to Noah's room and smiled when he started to pull things out of his drawers.

"Okay, Little Batman. Let's not make a mess." She entered his room just before he collided with her legs. "Jeez."

"Go sim, Mommy," he spoke into her legs, making his voice sound muffled.

"Yes, you and Alexis will be going swimming when we get to the beach," Kate enthused to match his excitement.

"And see fishies!" Alexis shrieked from the closet.

"We might be able to go fishing too," Rick replied with a grin.

"Let's pack and get there first." Kate nodded as Noah grabbed her pinky and led her to his dresser.

…..

"Mommy, plane!" Noah happily cheered as he turned toward her in her lap.

"Yes, for the fiftieth time, we are on a plane," Kate said through a clenched jaw.

"Oh, stop," Rick teased and lightly nudged her arm. "He's excited."

"I wish he would sleep like this little angel right here," she murmured as her free hand gently ran down Alexis' hair.

"She really, really hates flying, so I'm glad she fell asleep," Rick whispered as he readjusted his daughter against him.

"Mommy, fly," Noah eagerly said while he opened the shade to the window. His eyes went as wide as possible while his mouth went in the shape of a firm O.

"Okay, so maybe him being awake is more adorable than I thought," Kate softly laughed as she grabbed her phone off the arm rest. She quickly took a profile shot of his face before saving. "You like flying?" she hummed into his ear.

"Fly all time?" he questioned as his head whipped toward her.

"We will be flying again in a week," Rick answered with a grin.

"Fly afor bed?" Noah asked with a toothy smile.

"If you close your eyes, you can be flying while asleep," Kate attempted to persuade, but when Noah's attention went back to the window, she knew it was pointless.

The plus side with Noah being tremendously happy that he was on a plane was that he wasn't crying or pitching a fit like she heard a kid do earlier. Instead, he was calm and squealing every so often because of his excitement, which was obviously cute. He even tried to get Alexis to look out the window before she fell asleep, but she was too scared to move.

Kate rested her head against Rick's shoulder since it was a lot closer than before. She kept her hands securely on Noah's sides because he kept jerking around to look at something new. Despite the random popping in her ears, she was enjoying the flight, mostly because she was in first class with the people she loved.

"What are you thinking about?" Rick hummed into her ear.

"Noah, Alexis and how happy you make me," she answered in a whisper.

"You make me happy too, Kate. I couldn't have asked for a better girlfriend."

"Stop," she hesitated because her eyes were brimming with tears and she did _not_ want to cry with Noah near her.

"I love you," Rick murmured before planting a gentle kiss on her temple.

"I love you too," she merrily replied as her eyes fell on Noah who had his faced pushed up against the window again. "You too, buddy," she hummed before she leaned forward to kiss the top of his head.

Rick cautiously lifted Alexis' arm, afraid it might wake her, and lightly waved her hand. "And me?" he spoke in a girly manner.

Kate scooted Noah, so he would be sitting against her. She reached over and bopped the side of Rick's head.

"Leave her alone," she demanded in a whisper. "Let her sleep, so she doesn't get terrified again."

"Fine," he childishly spoke before placing Alexis' arm back on her stomach.

"But to answer that question, yes. I love her too," Kate warmly murmured as she carefully tucked some of Alexis' hair behind her ear.

"And _that_ makes me more happy than you will ever know," Rick admitted.

"I know how you feel because you love Noah too, so shush."

"Yeah." Rick let his eyes fall on Noah who was drinking his juice and looking out the window with his head against Kate's chest.

He loved the little boy next to him like he would his own son. They shared so many interests, even though they were many years apart. It was like Noah was his long lost best friend and they would always be that way. No matter what happened in his life, he would always look out for his little friend the same way he would his daughter.

His free hand found Kate's and he laced their fingers together. He leaned his head toward her, making hers turn. Their lips joyously connected, and he couldn't help but smile when he felt the corners of hers go up.

"Forever yours," he promised when their eyes met and smiled even larger when she slightly nodded her head. He knew he made her speechless and he didn't mind not hearing her agreeing words. He knew she felt the same.

"Daddy," Noah said while looking at Rick.

"No, buddy. I'm not your daddy," Rick stammered as he glanced over at Kate for some sort of help.

"We went over this, silly," Kate said, making Noah lean to his side to see her face. "Rick is Alexis' daddy. Your daddy went away on a plane last weekend, remember?"

"Him no Daddy," Noah grunted and furrowed his brows. "Him." He pointed up at Rick with an innocent smile.

"I wish I could be, big guy, but sadly I'm not. We can be best friends though. How does that sound?" Rick anxiously questioned.

"Liam fend." Noah nodded his head because he understood.

"Yeah, Rick is your friend just like Liam," Kate gently agreed while wrapping her arms tighter around Noah's small body.

"Otay!" Noah cheered and clapped his hands together. He leaned forward to glance out the window again.

"I think he wants you to be his daddy," Kate whispered as her eyes stayed glued on her son.

"Remember last weekend when he called me Daddy in front of Will?" Rick silently questioned.

"Oh my god. Do not remind me. The look on Will's face made me feel horrible yet I wanted to laugh," Kate replied in a whisper.

"Kind of his fault for not being around so Noah could make that connection."

"Exactly." She smiled as she laid her head against the seat and lightly ran her fingers down the back of Noah's head. "We are each other's kid's best friends."

"It will always stay that way no matter what."

Rick looked down at Alexis when he suddenly felt movement against him. He watched as she slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. The fear that struck her blue eyes made him feel bad for taking a plane.

"It's okay, Pumpkin," he soothed as he kissed her forehead.

Noah placed his hands on the armrest next to his mom. He went on his knees and peered over at his friend.

"Otay, Lessis," he contentedly spoke. "No sad."

Alexis sluggishly sat up in her dad's lap and rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of her sleepiness. She brought her gaze upon Kate and pouted as tears began to well up.

"Switch," Kate quickly said while she set Noah on the floor, keeping one hand on his shoulder, so he wouldn't run off. Once Rick placed Alexis in her lap, she wrapped her arms around the girl's small body. "It's okay, kiddo."

"No like flying," Alexis cried into her shirt as she began to tremble.

"Me neither."

Alexis kept the side of her face against Kate's chest and tilted her chin toward her. "You don't?"

"Nope." Kate shook her head with a slight shrug. She caught a glimpse of Rick struggling to get Noah to sit down, so she brought her attention to the boys. "Noah, sit."

"Mommy, plane!" Noah clapped his hands together as he bounced on Rick's thighs.

Kate shook her head with a large grin before kissing Alexis' forehead. "What makes you afraid of planes?"

"They hurt my ears," Alexis blatantly replied while she held her hands over them.

"Here." Kate grabbed the purple and pink sippy cup from Rick's seat and handed it to Alexis. "If you swallow enough, the feeling should go away." She watched as the girl feverishly drank her juice. "Better?"

"Yeah," Alexis whispered as she snuggled into Kate again. She ended up playing with the ends of Kate's hair. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Pumpkin," Rick pleasantly answered as he placed the portable DVD player on Noah's lap and hit play.

"I want long hair like Kate's," Alexis replied with an innocent smile.

"You always tell me to have the lady cut it short." Rick had to hold the DVD player in place since Noah kept trying to lift it up.

"No more." Alexis shook her head and beamed up at Kate in marvel.

"You can have long hair. It will take some time, though." Kate lovingly hugged Alexis and kissed the top of her head.

"Batman!" Noah shrieked at the small screen in front of him.

"Shh." Rick placed one of his fingers over the boy's mouth. He turned is head toward his favorite girls. "Are you okay, Pumpkin?"

"Yes, Daddy." Alexis slightly nodded. "Almost there?"

"Almost," Kate and Rick said at the same time, causing them to share a smile and quick kiss.

…..

"Beach now, Mommy?" Noah yelled his question while dashing onto the balcony where he last saw her.

"Noah, I told you that you need to lay down first," Kate frustratingly said as she looked down to notice him peering out of the balcony bars.

"What them?" he curiously asked with wide eyes at the waves. He felt his mom's hand on the top of his head, so he tilted it back to see why.

"Okay, you did take an hour nap from when we got off the plane. I think… maybe… we can go on the beach."

Within seconds of his mom's last words, he was back in the master bedroom of the beach house and toward Alexis' room.

"Lessis!" he excitedly squealed with his arms in the air.

Alexis closed the Dr. Seuss book she was looking through and set it on the bed. "Noah!"

"Go play on sand!" he enthused with a fast, continuous nod.

"I said maybe," Kate corrected from the doorway, making her son spin around and face her.

"Mommy, please?" he whined and sped to her with his arms in the air. Once he was hooked on her hip, he lightly patted his hands on her face. "Beach, Mommy!"

"You are way too excited," she laughed while shaking her head to get his hands off.

"Can we build a castle?" Alexis inquired as she swung her feet over the edge of the bed.

"Yes, we can build a castle," Kate happily answered with a smile, getting one in return.

"And swim!" Alexis bounced in her seat, silently giggling to herself.

"With floaties," Kate added in.

"Sim, sim, sim, sim, sim," Noah chanted as he was carried out of the room. He looked over his mom's shoulder to see Alexis following them.

"Our little monkeys would like to go on the beach now," Kate announced in the living room while she headed toward Rick who was typing away on his laptop.

"No monkey!" Noah disagreed with a loud grunt, which made him get set on the floor. He darted for Rick and attempted to climb on his lap.

"I would have said incoming, but I didn't know what he was going to do," Kate laughed as Rick lifted his laptop over Noah's head and set it on the table beside his chair.

"Go get your bathing suits," Rick said aloud to both kids and chuckled when Noah speedily slid down his legs and crawled a few inches before getting on his feet and chasing Alexis to their rooms.

"I wish I could have that much energy," Kate admitted when she saw the kids bolt out of her sight.

"You did once," Rick said, making her eyes fall on him. "You should suit up too."

"What about you?"

"Already have them on." He patted his light blue and plaid swim trunks.

"Will you help me tie my top?"q

His eyes went as wide as possible until he saw hers rolling. "What?"

"You're thinking sexually when I just want help tying the back," she pointed out her observation.

"You make it hard not to. I've seen you in just your bra… Can you wear a shirt on the beach?" He frowned at the idea of other men seeing how beautiful and sexy his girlfriend was.

"Oh my god. You are not telling me to cover up!"

"But…"

She shook her head while laughing pretty hard. She got off the couch and walked over to his chair to sit on his lap.

"You're such a big baby. You can't even handle the idea of other people looking at me. What's going to happen when Alexis is older and she's on the beach in a bikini?" she questioned with her eyebrow slightly raised.

He rubbed his thumb in circles on her thigh and sighed. "I will make sure Alexis eats so much that she won't want to go on the beach."

Kate playfully hit his chest and shook her head. "You're horrible."

"Not really. I'm being a protective father."

"Overly," she added in with a sly smirk.

He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it when he couldn't find the right words to say. Instead, he threw his head on the back of his chair and huffed.

"Come on, big baby. Time to get the kids ready. I can hear the arguing." She slid off his lap and kissed his cheek before heading toward the bedrooms. "Alright, what's all the ruckus about?" she asked when she entered Noah's room to hear him screaming gibberish at Alexis.

"He won't let me help him outta his shirt!" Alexis shouted above Noah's yelling.

"I'll show you how to do it. Hop on the bed." Kate watched Alexis climb onto the bed and sit on the edge. Then, she guided Noah in front of Alexis' legs and whispered into her ear.

"Arms up!" Alexis repeated Kate's words and observed Noah's arms shoot up in the air. She paid attention at how Kate slowly bunched his shirt under his armpits before pulling it onto his arms.

"Grab the rest and pull," Kate gently commanded. She assisted with guiding Noah's head out of his shirt as Alexis pulled the rest off his arms.

"I did it!" Alexis cheered and waved the shirt around in her left hand.

"You did," Kate chuckled as her eyes traveled onto Noah who was patting his stomach with a wide grin.

"I have your bathing suit, Alexis," Rick enthused while he walked into the bedroom. He set it on the bed before taking a seat beside her.

"Mommy, I a fish," Noah exclaimed, making all eyes fall on him. Once everyone was watching, he puffed out his cheeks with wide eyes. It only lasted a few seconds before he started to giggle and fall into the side of the bed.

"I think the sun already got to him," Rick chortled loudly while he helped Alexis out of her shirt and watched her slide her shorts down and kick them off the bed.

"You are something, Noah." Kate shook her head with a smile before planting herself on the floor beside him. "Let's put your Batman trunks on."

"Batman sim?" Noah asked while spinning in a tight circle.

"Yes, Batman is gonna swim," she answered as she lightly grasped onto his shoulders to stop his movements. She unbuttoned his red and black shorts, letting them drop to his ankles. "Step out, silly."

Noah kicked his shorts away from his feet and tugged at his pull-up. "This off."

"Patience, Little Batman," Rick chimed in as he carefully pulled Alexis' bikini bottoms to her waist.

Noah held onto his mom's shoulders as he was guided into his Batman trunks. Once they were at his hips, he charged into his mom's arms for a hug.

"Love, Mommy," he spoke into her shirt while rubbing his face in it.

"Oh my goodness." Kate tightly snaked her arms around his body as her heart clenched from his words. "I love you too," she hummed into his ear. She swayed side to side with him before he wanted to pull away.

"Time to swim!" Alexis proclaimed while she hopped on the bed.

"Cute swimsuit, Alexis," Kate complimented with a grin.

"Tinkerbell." Alexis nodded before she continued to hop around.

"Let me get changed. Can you sunscreen him up?" Kate inquired as she got onto her feet. She ruffled Noah's hair before heading toward the door.

"I got it under control," Rick assured as he grabbed onto the sunscreen, opened it, and squeezed some into his palm. "Stay still, Pumpkin." The moment Alexis stopped jumping, he quickly lathered up her arms, legs, stomach, and back. "Close your eyes for me please." He dipped his fingers in the sunscreen in his hand and carefully rubbed it on her face. He poked her nose with a boop sound. "All done."

Alexis slid off the bed and tried to boost Noah up. Since she wasn't succeeding, she pouted at her dad.

"Help, please," she innocently said.

Rick playfully picked Noah up and dropped him on the bed, creating loud squeals and giggles. "Now stand still like Alexis did." Noah listened and let him put sunscreen over his entire body, but when he got to his face, screaming started. "Chief, I have to put it on your face."

"Why is he screaming so loud?" Kate asked from the doorway. She was holding her bikini top strings behind her back as she walked further into the room.

"He won't let me…" Rick's eyes widened as he lost train of thought from seeing his gorgeous girlfriend in her bikini.

"Put it on his face!" Alexis completed his sentence with a giggle.

"Tie me," Kate demanded with her back turned toward Rick. His fingers lightly brushing her skin made chills run down her spine, but she quickly repressed the feeling because there were two toddlers in the room, and one was still angrily screaming. "You," she said as she hoisted Noah into her arms. "You need to have sunscreen on your face." She held her hand out to Rick, so he could put sunscreen on her fingers. Once she had some, she quickly and cautiously put it on her son's cheeks, forehead, and nose. "All better."

"Sim?" Noah questioned with a large smile while he rubbed his nose.

"Let's get your towels and beach toys first. And Mommy still has to put on sunscreen," Kate explained as she set him on the floor.

"Can I help?" Alexis curiously inquired, hoping the answer would be yes.

"We can help her with her back," Rick answered with a large grin.

"Then we can swim!" Alexis practically screamed, causing more excitement to appear in Noah. She watched him dash out of the room, so she followed, quickly forgetting about helping Kate with her sunscreen.

"I think I might want a leash for when we are on the beach. Oh, and do you know where my multi colored pareo is?" Kate questioned as she began to put sunscreen over her arms.

"I think I put it… in one of the drawers," Rick answered as his eyes feverishly trailed down her body.

Since he couldn't have her now, like he wanted, he would have to wait until the kids were asleep. But since his hands weren't patient enough, he pulled her into his lap and trailed the tips of his fingers up her thigh.

She let a low laugh escape from her before getting back onto her feet. "You're so bad."

"You make me this way," he groaned into his hands, covering his eyes to try and get rid of his sexual thoughts.

"Here. Put this on me." She tossed the sunscreen on his lap and turned her back to him.

…..

The moment the four of them stepped onto the sand, Noah yanked his hand out of his mom's and bolted toward the water. He heard items drop behind him, but he kept running. His stare went to his feet because he liked the feeling of the sand on his toes. And when he looked up, he was only several inches from the water, so didn't stop.

"Noah!" Kate panicked in a scream as she chased him. Just as he was about to step further into the water, she scooped him up and stayed still. "Never. Ever. Do that again," she fretfully stammered while holding him close.

"Sim, Mommy," he happily said while being completely unaware of how his action affected her.

"I know you want to swim, baby, but you can't by yourself. You're too little and the ocean could really hurt you. Okay?" she murmured into his ear since his chin was against her shoulder.

"Otay, Mommy." He nodded against her while he lifted his head since he noticed Rick and Alexis setting up their umbrella and beach towels on the sand. "What doing?"

Kate slowly spun around to see what he was looking at. She hoisted him higher onto her hip before walking to Rick. She plopped down on one of the towels and let Noah sit on her lap.

"Are you okay?" Rick inquired since he could sense her distress.

"I will be." She forced a smile before kissing the top of Noah's head.

"Sim!" Noah anxiously shouted while he stood up. He was about to run forward until his mom's arm blocked him.

"Wait a minute. I don't want to go in yet," Kate soothingly explained, hoping it would help calm him down.

"Now!" Noah irritably cried out and reached his arms toward the ocean.

"Daddy, can we build a castle?" Alexis questioned as she dumped all the beach toys out of the bag.

"How about you and Kate start the castle while I bring Noah into the water?" Rick asked, making Noah's eager eyes fall on him.

"You sure?" Kate had to pull Noah closer to her because he was trying to flip over her arm.

"I'm sure." Rick got onto his feet and lifted Noah up. He held the boy above his head and smiled at him. "Does Little Batman want to swim with me?" Noah swung his arms at his face while squealing with joy. "I take that as a yes." He turned his head toward Kate and Alexis. "I'll be back."

"We gonna make a castle for you, Daddy!" Alexis yelled as she observed her dad walk toward the water with Noah hanging over his shoulder. She crawled in the sand before she cautiously climbed onto Kate's lap. "Make a castle with me?"

"Of course," Kate cheerfully answered as she poked the girl's nose. "How do we start?"

"Umm…" Alexis tried to remember what her dad did the last time she built one. "We need water!" she eventually exclaimed with a fast nod.

"Want me to help you?"

"Please?"

Kate got herself onto her feet and took Alexis' small hand in hers. She picked up the purple pail and headed toward the ocean. When they were at the shore, they bent down and scooped up water into it. Alexis hopped in the water a few times before leading the way back to their towels.

"Say hi," Rick encouraged Noah when he saw the girls.

Noah ignored him and splashed his hands on the water with loud shrieks escaping him. He didn't even mind Rick holding him by his stomach because he could still freely move his legs and arms. And when Rick began to spin around, making his feet come out of the water, he couldn't help but manically giggle.

"You're already tiring me out, buddy," Rick chuckled when he heard the boy's laughter.

"Again!" Noah clapped his hands together before he was being spun around. When the motion stopped he rubbed his eyes since water hit him.

"Okay, I'm going to show you what a wave is, alright?" Rick questioned as he moved further into the ocean. He patiently waited for a wave to come and when one began to, he pointed at it. "See it?"

Noah's eyes went as wide as possible. He looked up at Rick and attempted to turn his stomach toward him.

"Help!" he frighteningly screeched.

"It won't hurt you," Rick reassured as he securely held Noah on his hip. Once the wave hit them and brought them back a couple feet, he noticed the boy gripping onto his shoulder.

"No want. No want," Noah whined and attempted to get away. "Mommy," he cried out and reached toward the shore.

"Here. Let's go toward the shallow part, that way you can stand and hop in the water," Rick said as he walked toward the beach. He held Noah in front of him, swerving him around before he felt it was safe enough to let the boy stand on his own.

Within seconds of Noah's feet being in contact with the wet sand, he took off to his left. He dashed about while squealing with delight. He ended up tripping over his own feet and falling into water as a wave hit, making him inhale some through his nose. Immediately after the burning sensation registered, he began to painfully scream.

The instant Rick heard Noah's wails, he scooped the boy into his arms and held him close.

"It's okay, buddy. It's okay," he attempted to soothe him, but knew it was useless. Instead, he quickly rushed him back to Kate while avoiding other little kids.

"Oh, no. What happened?" Kate inquired as she sped toward them before they could reach the towels. She held her hands out to Noah who practically flung into them.

"He fell in the water just as a wave hit the shore," Rick explained with a frown.

Kate brushed back Noah's wet curls and kissed his forehead. "Did some go in your nose?" She got a nod in return as his cries turned into whimpers. "Let's help with the castle." She planted a soft kiss on his nose before sitting beside Alexis again.

"Wow!" Rick elatedly shouted. "You guys built this so fast! This is so awesome!" he complimented the medium sized castle that even had half of a moat built.

"Daddy!" Alexis gleefully exclaimed. "Look what we did."

"You did a good job, Pumpkin," he praised with a wide smile.

"Why's Noah crying?" She frowned at her friend.

"Because he fell into the waves and got some up his nose."

"Owwie!"

"Yeah." Rick guiltily said, feeling like it was his fault Noah fell.

"You didn't know that would happen," Kate whispered into his ear. "You let him run around the shore just like I was going to."

"I feel guilty whenever one of them gets hurt," Rick openly admitted as he observed Alexis putting damp sand into the turtle shaped toy.

"It's not your fault." Kate kissed the spot near his ear. "Do you want to help Alexis?" she asked Noah who was calmer.

"Stay," Noah answered as he let the back of his head rest against his mom.

"Okay." She lightly kissed the top of his hair and wrapped her arms around him.

"Look a turtle!" Alexis cheered as she pulled the turtle shaped toy away from the sand.

"That's so cool. Do we have any other sea creatures?" Rick questioned. Once he was handed a toy crab, he began to put sand in it.

"Let's make a line to the water, Daddy," Alexis enthused with a smile. "So they can swim!"

"How about you and Noah do that? Help cheer him up," Rick encouraged.

Alexis used her hands to push herself on her feet. She carefully walked around the castle before she was beside Noah. She handed him the turtle because she knew it was one of his favorite animals. When he smiled up at her while he rubbed one of his eyes, she held her hand out.

"Help make a line?" she asked with an adorable smile.

"Otay." Noah climbed out of his mom's lap and took Alexis' hand. She led him over to the other beach toys and he observed her picking up a fish shaped on.

"I show you how." She got down on her knees and used her hands to put sand in the toy. Then, she used one of her little shovels to scoop water from her pail and put it on the sand. "And press, and press," she said to herself to push the sand further into the toy. Once she was done, she slammed it onto the ground and roughly patted the fish. "Tada!" she exclaimed when she pulled it up, revealing the sand shaped fish.

Noah's eyes went as wide as possible. He got down on his knees and sat back on his legs. He did what Alexis just showed him, but glanced up every so often to make sure he was doing it right.

Kate sat under the umbrella and on one of the towels. After Rick was beside her, she leaned into his side, keeping her eyes glued on the kids just in case one of them got the idea to take off.

She was finally in a place where she could put her mother's unsolved case behind her for good. She had what she needed in life to die a happy person. Yeah, she crossed every single line she set up for her and Noah, so they wouldn't get hurt, but she was happy. She had her beautiful little boy, a man that loved her just as much as she did him, and his daughter who would always steal her heart. There wasn't anything else she could ask for. Nothing.

Rick kissed the side of Kate's head as his arm wrapped around her. He was happy, they all were. They've been through a lot within the months they've been together. But with everything that happened, it made them a stronger family. Someday he would ask Kate to marry him. Although they were in the perfect setting, he wouldn't do it at the moment. No, he needed to be with Kate for a longer period of time. He needed to prove to her that he wasn't just her boyfriend, but someone she could depend on through thick and thin.

He chuckled as he watched the kids leap over their small line of sea creatures, their laughter making its way to his ears. He knew they all loved each other and that was all he could ask for.

Love and happiness.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Thanks to Cyn for always editing and Liam for his crazy ideas. This was a fun story to write, it really was because of all you readers (: And I've actually thought about writing a sequel, but it would take place a few years after this one. I don't know though.<strong>_

_**Thoughts?**_


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